Mentally Ill Odisha Woman Gangraped In Delhi, Auto Driver Among 3 Arrested

Representational Image. (Pexels)

Delhi Crime: Three men, including an auto driver, were arrested in connection with the case of alleged gang rape of a woman from Odisha in Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan, officials said on Thursday. The incident took place on the intervening nights of October 10 and 11. The three accused arrested in the case have been identified as Prabhu Mahto, Parmod Babu, and Mohammad Shamsul.

The police said that the victim is receiving treatment at AIIMS in the national capital after the alleged gang rape on October 10. The officials further stated that the victim travelled to Delhi on May 9 without informing her family, which has filed a missing person's report in Puri. According to police, they received information regarding a woman lying bleeding near the Sarai Kale Khan area on October 11.

Delhi Police said that on the intervening nights of October 10 and 11, in the national capital, a naval officer found a young woman soaked in blood on the roadside in the Kale Khan area. Blood was oozing from the private parts of the young woman. Seeing this, the naval officer admitted the young woman to the AIIMS Trauma Center, and the police were informed about this. After the medical examination report, it became clear that the woman had been raped. The 34-year-old victim, a resident of Orissa, was living in Delhi for some time.

Speaking about the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh said, "The police staff immediately reached the spot, where the victim was found in a state of distress and was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre for medical examination and care. Upon arrival at the hospital, the victim disclosed to the attending doctor that she had been sexually assaulted by three persons."

Following her initial statement, the victim could not cooperate further with the investigation or hospital staff due to her illness, Singh said. The police officer further stated that a total of 10 police teams were formed and more than 700 CCTV cameras were checked to nab the accused, who have been identified as Prabhu Mahto, Parmod alias Babu, and Mohammad Shamsul.

During interrogation, Parmod said that he noticed a woman sitting close to the Old Delhi railway station on October 10, the DCP said. He conspired with Shamsul, a physically handicapped beggar, to sexually assault the girl, assuming that she was mentally unsound and an easy target. They forcibly dragged her to a deserted area to commit the crime, Singh said.

The incident was witnessed by auto driver Prabhu Mahto, who also allegedly raped her, he said. Mahto then dumped the victim near Sarai Kale Khan and fled, the DCP said. According to the DCP, the victim belongs to Odisha and is highly educated. He further stated that she had travelled to Delhi on May 9 without informing her family. A missing person report was registered by her parents on June 9 at Kumbharpada police station in Puri, he said.

(With agencies inputs)