The Delhi Police have arrested three men on connection with the sarai kale khan gang rape of a mentally ill woman who once was a social worker.
The police with the help of an exhaustive probe and assistance of CCTV surveillance reportedly tracked the first accused Prabhu Mahto- an autorickshaw driver. He was arrested on October 30. Later on, they arrested a scrap shop owner Parmod on November 2 and a beggar with disabilities on November 4.
Encounter of the survivor with the Police
The bleeding woman was wandering near Sarai Kale khan in South East Delhi when she had encountered the police and as she was bleeding heavily they shifted her to AIIMS Trauma Centre on October 12. The woman reportedly told the doctors there that she had been sexually assaulted by three strangers.
As reported by the Indian Express, the most challenging part of the investigation was to wrangle out details from the victim due to her mental condition.
“During the operation, we had to take special permission from the management staff of AIIMS Trauma Center. A woman officer, Constable Sangeeta, took cover as a social worker, while a native Indian woman took cover as nurse and they were assigned to take care of the victim with the objective to build trust and gather crucial information from her,” explained Ravi Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South East.
DCP further reported that constable Sangeeta won her trust and fortunately could take out the major details from the victim including the involvement of an unknown autorickshaw, three people and that one of them was physically disabled.
Later, the police were able to identify the auto rickshaw in question through CCTV analysis.
As revealed by the police and reported by the Indian Express, the victim has a history of involvement in community development and has worked as a researcher, community leader, and counselor for various organizations.
“She reached Delhi in May and initially stayed with an acquaintance. However, as her mental health worsened, she left her friend’s house and began taking temporary shelter in public spaces such as bus stops, railway stations and foot over bridges and, eventually, severed all contact with her family,” said the officer.
The police, in the meantime, developed a detailed map of the woman’s possible route and examined CCTV footage from various key locations. “The first major breakthrough came when, using CCTV footage, we saw the victim leaving the Old Delhi Railway Station’s waiting hall on October 10 at 10:14 am. The team reviewed footage from more than 700 CCTV cameras across over 25 sites. Additionally, over 150 suspected auto rickshaws were identified and verified by cross-referencing both visible and hidden digits,” stated DCP Singh.
“On October 10, Parmod, reportedly in an inebriated condition, after closing his shop encountered the victim sitting nearby. Parmod was soon joined by Shamsul, the beggar who lived in the area,” said an investigation officer.
The Barbaric Rape Details
The police reported that Parmod and Shamsul realized that the victim was an easy target for them and hence they dragged her to an isolated location and sexually assaulted her. Mahto also joined the two in the crime and then they left the woman near sarai kale khan.
