A 16-year-old minor girl’s body, partially eaten by dogs, was found in a decomposed and unidentifiable state in an open field in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar on September 13, two days after her alleged rape and murder, police said.
The body was so badly damaged that investigators could not initially establish whether the deceased was a man or a woman.
The body had been dumped in an open field near Jaipal Rana’s field, Lal Boundary, Kushak Road, and had been bitten by dogs.
Sources in the Outer North police said the accused and the victim were known to each other and were neighbourhood friends.
The adult accused has been identified as Shivam alias Sudama alias Chuchu, a resident of Khadda Colony, Swaroop Nagar.
A 16-year-old minor girl’s body, partially eaten by dogs, was found in a decomposed and unidentifiable state in an open field in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar on September 13, two days after her alleged rape and murder, police said. The body was so badly damaged that investigators could not initially establish whether the deceased was a man or a woman.
Speaking to The Hindu, Additional DCP (Outer North) Lokeshwaran R. said the incident took place on the intervening night of September 10 and 11, while information about the body was received on the morning of September 13. The body had been dumped in an open field near Jaipal Rana’s field, Lal Boundary, Kushak Road, and had been bitten by dogs.
“The body was unidentifiable. We could not even establish whether it was a male or female. There was no missing person complaint in the district or nearby areas, and there was no CCTV camera at the location,” Mr Lokeshwaran said.
During the investigation, however, the police found a distant CCTV camera that had a view of the field. On reviewing footage from the intervening night of September 10 and 11, investigators spotted a car followed by a tempo without a number plate moving towards the field. A peculiar symbol on the left side of the tempo became a crucial lead.
The police began searching for vehicles matching the description and eventually traced a similar tempo in the area. Its driver was questioned and told investigators that four boys had hired the vehicle on the night of September 10 and 11. The information helped the police trace the four persons connected with the crime.
According to the police, the four accused took the minor girl to the open field, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted and killed before her body was dumped there. Preliminary investigation has indicated that all five persons, including the victim, had consumed alcohol and were intoxicated at the time of the incident, police said.
Sources in the Outer North police said the accused and the victim were known to each other and were neighbourhood friends. “The prime accused, Shivam, and the victim girl were in a relationship, and all five of them were neighbourhood friends. They had all met, following which an argument erupted among the group. The accused then sexually assaulted and killed the girl,” said Outer North DCP Shobhit D. Saxena.
Mr Lokeshwaran said the victim’s family had not lodged a missing person complaint as she was not on good terms with them and would sometimes leave home and stay away for a few days. The family, therefore, did not suspect that anything serious had happened, he said.
Following the discovery of the body, the Crime Team and Forensic Science Laboratory team examined the scene and collected relevant exhibits. The body was sent for preservation and postmortem examination.
Based on the circumstances and material collected during the preliminary investigation, the police registered the case under Sections 103(1) (murder), 238(a) (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence or giving false information to screen an offender), 65(1) (rape of a woman under 16) and 3(5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act at Swaroop Nagar police station.
A night-long search operation was subsequently conducted during the intervening night of September 15 and 16. The suspected tempo was traced parked in Khadda Colony, Swaroop Nagar. The driver was identified and questioned, following which the police apprehended four persons, including three juveniles, allegedly connected with the offence.
The adult accused has been identified as Shivam alias Sudama alias Chuchu, a resident of Khadda Colony, Swaroop Nagar.
The police have recovered two knives used in the offence, clothes worn by the accused at the time of the incident and the suspected tempo,.
The investigation is continuing to establish the complete sequence of events and ascertain the individual role of each of the apprehended persons.
