NEW DELHI: In a major breakthrough, Delhi Police has arrested three men in connection with the brutal gang rape of a 34-year-old woman researcher from Odisha reported on Oct 11. Their probe has revealed that the incident happened near ITO and the woman, who suffers from a mental health condition, was dumped in southeast Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan in an auto. The survivor is still under treatment at a central government hospital, police said.
According to police, two of the accused, one intoxicated, had conspired to rape the woman when they found her alone. They allegedly took her to an isolated area by force and assaulted her. An autorickshaw driver, who witnessed the act, allegedly raped the woman in his vehicle before dropping her at Sarai Kale Khan, where she was found. TOI had reported the incident on Oct 12.
Among the arrested men is the auto driver, Prabhu Mahto (28); a scrap dealer, Pramod Babu (32); and a beggar, Mohammed Shamshul (29). They were tracked down using CCTV analysis, technical surveillance and human information networks. The investigators have recovered crucial evidence linked to the crime. The autorickshaw has also been seized.
Crucial physical evidence, including the blood-stained clothes of the survivor, comprising a pant and salwar, besides the clothes the accused were wearing at the time of the crime have also been seized. These include clothes of Mahto, Pramod and Shamsul and the latter’s cap, belt and shoes.
2 men raped ‘easy target’, a third joined in and then dumped her
Moreover, critical CCTV footage has been secured, providing visual evidence to bolster the case against the accused. These recovered items and footage have proved vital in building a robust case,” said a senior cop.
Explaining the sequence of events, police said they had received a PCR call at 3:15 am on Oct 11. The caller had spotted a woman walking in the Sarai Kale Khan area. She was wearing a red kurta and appeared to be bleeding and hence the caller expressed concern that she might have been injured or assaulted.
A team reached the spot and took the woman to hospital. There, she told the doctor that she had been sexually assaulted. A case was registered and a team formed to investigate the case. According to hospital sources, he had injuries on her private parts and required sutures.
After an extensive probe, the cops were able to identify the autorickshaw and arrested the driver, Mahto. Later, Pramod and Shamsul were also arrested.
During interrogation, Pramod told police that he was addicted to liquor and had that day got drunk after closing the shop near Tilak Bridge railway station where he worked. He noticed a woman sitting alone in the area. Sham- shul, who is physically handicapped and addicted to alcohol too, reached the scene soon after.
“Both decided to sexually assault the girl, assuming she was mentally unsound and an easy target. Together, they forcibly dragged the girl to a deserted area and assaulted her,” police said.
Auto driver Mahto had witnessed the incident and joined them. He forced the girl into his auto and raped her. He then took her to Sarai Kale Khan, dumped her and fled.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
