Deaf-mute Delhi woman raped, blackmailed; accused arrested

A 29-year-old hearing and speech impaired woman was allegedly raped in the national capital, an official here said on Tuesday, adding that the accused has been arrested.

According to the official, the victim had been "repeatedly raped" since November 21, by the 34-year-old man, identified as Rehan, a resident of Maujpur.

The victim, who approached the police with her mother and sister, lodged a complaint on December 5 after which, a counsellor appointed by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) was called. However, since the victim was deaf and mute, an interpreter was required for recording her statement.

"Due to late night hours, no interpreter wasn't available. Later, a private interpreter was arranged and the DCW counsellor counselled the victim and also recorded her statement with the help of the interpreter," the official said.

The medical examination of the victim was conducted at the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital.

The police registered a case under sections 376(2)(n) and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Bhajanpura police station.

According to sources, the accused was residing in the same locality as the victim.

"The accused had also made an obscene video of the act and threatened the girl with dire consequences if she revealed to anyone about the heinous crime," the sources said.

He also blackmailed her with the same video to rape her multiple times.

During the course of investigation, the accused was arrested after which the police produced him before a local court on Monday.

"The court has sent the accused to judicial custody," the official said, adding that further investigation in the case is still on.

Recently, during an event, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, had averred that the safety of women in the national capital is their topmost priority.

"Overall the approach is that if a woman is in distress, if a child is in distress, then proper attention is given to them," he said.

However, as per data, crime against women in Delhi still continues to show an upward trajectory, compared to last year's figures.

According to the data compiled by Delhi Police, 1,725 women have been allegedly raped in 2021 till October 31 in the city.

In 2020, 1,429 women had to face the heinous crime till the same period. Compared last year's data, there has been an increase of 20 per cent.

In 2020, the total number of crimes against women stood at 7,948 which this year has increased to 11,527. In total, the crime against women has increased by a massive 45 per cent in the national capital in just the past 10 months.

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