4-year-old raped by neighbour in outer Delhi

New Delhi: A four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her neighbour in outer Delhi’s Shahabad Dairy area on Sunday evening. The incident was reported around 9 pm on Sunday when the girl, who was playing outside her house in a slum, was lured by 28-year-old Mohammad Junaid, who took her to his room and raped her, a senior police officer said.

The accused, a rickshawpuller, was caught by the girl’s mother who then raised an alarm, said Vikramjeet Singh, deputy commissioner of police (outer district).

“The girl was found bleeding profusely with injury marks on her body. She was rushed to a hospital. The locals caught hold of Junaid and thrashed him before calling the police. He was in an inebriated state,” he added.

A case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other relevant provisions of law has been registered against the accused after he was arrested from the spot, said the officer. “The victim has been admitted to a hospital where she is stated to be out of danger and likely to be discharged by the evening. Her parents work odd jobs in the nearby locality,” the DCP said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women chief, Swati Maliwal, who met the victim at Dr. B.S. Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini, said her body was marked with scratches allegedly inflicted by the accused.

Maliwal tweeted: “Met 4 year old rape victim. Marks over her body tell her brutal ordeal. In deep pain n trauma. Totally inhuman. When will Delhi b rape free?”

(This story originally appeared in the Asian Age)