A 17-year-old girl was gang-raped by three men who posed as police personnel at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir in southeast Delhi on Monday (September 21, 2026) night.
BNS, POCSO chargesThe girl made a distress call at 8.45 p.m., after which Amar Colony police personnel reached the Astha Kunj Park.
On September 16, a minor girl was allegedly sexually assaulted inside a shop in Sadar Bazar after she went there to buy stationery.
On September 21, a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in Kishanganj, with a 34-year-old man taken into custody.
“Any incident involving a woman or a girl in Delhi is unacceptable,” DCW chairperson Lata Gupta said.
A 17-year-old girl was gang-raped by three men who posed as police personnel at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir in southeast Delhi on Monday (September 21, 2026) night. The girl’s 17-year-old male friend was also assaulted.
The accused were identified as Asif, 31, an onion wholesaler at Srinivaspuri market and a resident of Tughlakabad; Hemanth, 31, who claims to be an advocate practising at the Saket court and is preparing for competitive examinations; and his brother Mukesh, 24, a B.Sc. student from Palwal in Haryana. The brothers are residents of Srinivaspuri. Asif was shot in the leg during a police operation on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) morning.
Faked police intimidation
It was the girl’s birthday on Monday (September 21, 2026). A resident of Faridabad, she had come to southeast Delhi to meet her 17-year-old friend. The two visited Kalkaji Mandir before entering Astha Kunj Park through Gate No. 7.
“The three accused approached them, claimed to be policemen, and used police and legal terminology to intimidate the two, telling them that they were minors, had done something wrong, and could face a case. The trio then separated the girl by taking her to a secluded spot while restraining the boy, and sexually assaulted the girl one after another,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Vijay Kumar told The Hindu.
The police said Asif had allegedly threatened the girl with a firearm and a knife before sexually assaulting her.
BNS, POCSO charges
The girl made a distress call at 8.45 p.m., after which Amar Colony police personnel reached the Astha Kunj Park. She was found at the spot with her male friend, police said.
The girl was subsequently medically examined at AIIMS, while the Crime Team and Forensic Science Laboratory personnel examined the scene and collected relevant exhibits, police said.
A case was registered under Sections 70(2), 61(2), 115(2), and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 6 and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Pattern of sexual harassment
Preliminary questioning of the accused revealed that the three men had known each other for the past two to three years. “They used to play cricket together in the park, where they got acquainted, and claim to have known each other for the last two to three years,” Mr. Kumar said.
A preliminary background inquiry indicated that the three had visited parks in the area and harassed and teased girls in the past, police said.
The police will seek custody of the accused for more questioning. Further investigation is underway.
Minor girls in danger
This is the latest in a slew of recent sexual assaults against minor girls in Delhi.
On September 10, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and killed in Swaroop Nagar. Her body was found in a field on the intervening night of September 12 and 13, and four people, including three juveniles, were apprehended.
On September 16, a minor girl was allegedly sexually assaulted inside a shop in Sadar Bazar after she went there to buy stationery.
On September 21, a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in Kishanganj, with a 34-year-old man taken into custody.
Stringent police action: DCW
The Delhi Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of the latest case, seeking a detailed report from the police on the incident and action taken so far.
“Any incident involving a woman or a girl in Delhi is unacceptable,” DCW chairperson Lata Gupta said. “The Delhi government maintains a clear and strict policy that no form of mistreatment against women will be tolerated. Prompt and stringent police action must be ensured in such cases.”
Delhi Lieutenant-Governor T.S. Sandhu, while interacting with senior Delhi Police officers at police headquarters, stressed that women’s safety was “non-negotiable”. He directed the city police to establish a dedicated women-centric ‘Pink Force’, modelled on a Goa Police initiative, with trained women personnel deployed around schools, colleges, metro stations, and other vulnerable areas, for high-visibility deterrence and rapid response.
