Shahdara Abduction & Assault Case: Delhi Police Apprehend 3 Minor Boys

A 20-year-old woman was allegedly sexually and physically assaulted in Delhi's Shahdara.

A 20-year-old woman was allegedly sexually and physically assaulted, her face blackened, and was paraded by residents of a locality in Delhi's Shahdara on Wednesday, 26 January, afternoon.

(Photo: Twitter/Swati Maliwal)

The Delhi Police on Sunday, 30 January, arrested all the eleven accused that included eight adult women and three minor boys for their alleged involvement in the sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman in Delhi's Shahdara.

DCP (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram said that an auto used in abduction of the survivor was also recovered. A 10-member SIT under ACP rank officer has been formed for a speedy investigation of the crime.

The woman was allegedly kidnapped, gang-raped, beaten up in Shahdara on 26 January. She was then paraded by the locals in the area, with her head shaven off, and face blackened.

The Delhi Police had filed an FIR under IPC sections for gang-rape, kidnapping, illegal confinement, intimidation, and physical assault.

The boys, who have been apprehended, are between 14 - 16 years of age, police sources told The Quint.

Raids are underway to nab two more accused in the case, sources added.

What Happened?

A video of the woman being paraded, pushed, and slapped around was shared on social media by Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal on 27 January, a day after the incident.

In the video, a crowd of mostly women is gathered around the 20-year-old, with young girls cheering them on as she is paraded. The woman was also made to wear a garland of slippers.

'Survivor Blamed for Suicide'

DCP (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram told The Quint, "One of the accused, a woman, has alleged that the survivor is 'responsible' for the death of her 16-year-old son. The boy had died by suicide last year, as per the accused."

The survivor's sister told ANI that a boy living in the neighbourhood, who had claimed to the love the survivor, had died by suicide last year, and since then, the survivor was blamed for his demise by the family.

The survivor's cousin told The Quint:

"My sister lived in this colony till she got married a few years ago. After that, she moved to a different area, a few kilometres away, with her husband. On Wednesday, she was kidnapped from her house, brought to a house in this colony, locked up in a room... Usne bola uske saath rape hua hai (She told us that she was raped)."

The survivor's sister and father, who is differently-abled, live in the locality.

The DCP said that they received a call from the woman's husband on the afternoon of 26 January, after which she was rescued, and sent for a medical examination.

The deceased boy's father, who has several cases against him, has also been arrested.