JOIN USWoman battered to death for resisting gang-rape
A 40-year-old woman, who was found battered to death near a night shelter in west Delhi’s Uttam Nagar last week, was killed for resisting gang-rape by five men. Four of the accused have been arrested, police said on Saturday.
The victim was identified as a vagabond. Police said her body was recovered from a park near Uttam Nagar Metro station on March 29. The woman was temporarily staying at a night shelter near the Metro station with her husband and 20-year-old son.
Interrogation of the accused has revealed that the woman resisted their sexual advances and verbally abused them and screamed for help. “The woman was first hit on the face with a beer bottle and was then battered to death with a stone,” said Ranvir Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West).
The arrested persons have been identified as Bir Pal Singh, Mohammad Naseem, Jitender alias Jai Pal, Mantu Sharma. Efforts are still on to nab the fifth accused, identified as Naresh alias Anna, and a police team has been sent to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh to trace him. All the five accused are labourers.
“Their arrest came after nearly 150 ragpickers and vagabonds in Uttam Nagar, Vikaspuri and Janakpuri were interrogated and six occupants of night shelters were verified,” Singh added. The caretakers of the night shelters were thoroughly interrogated and antecedents of all those staying there were verified through the registers maintained by them.
Police then received a tip-off that the woman was last seen with Naseem and Naresh. She was taken away on a motorcycle from the night shelter near Uttam Nagar Metro station in the wee hours of March 29. “Naseem and Naresh wanted to have sex with her along with Bir Pal, Jitender and Mantu,” Singh said.
On the basis of the information, Naseem, Bir Pal, Jitnder and Mantu were detained for interrogation. Their interrogation revealed that they were addicted to alcohol and ganja.
On March 28, Naresh and Naseem promised the other accused that they will call a woman at the park in the night for sexual pleasure. Naresh gave Rs 500 to Mantu, Jitender and Brij Pal to arrange three bottles of beer and a half bottle of whisky for them and also decided to meet at the park.
Naresh along with Naseem picked up the woman on their motorcycle and reached the park. The accused made sexual advances towards her after consuming liquor. They tore her clothes and attempted to assault her, but she resisted and started abusing them and shouted for help.
On March 29, the woman’s husband and son launched a search for her in the area and also informed police. Soon, a call was made to the police control room about the woman lying dead in a pool of blood. A case of murder was registered.