Delhi: 10-year-old girl sleeping on footpath raped and killed; cab driver arrested
New Delhi: A 10-year-old girl sleeping with her family on a footpath near a Metro station in south Delhi's Mehrauli area was abducted, raped, and murdered early Monday, police said. The accused, a cab driver, was arrested within hours.
The victim's family, originally from Bihar, had moved to Delhi four months ago in search of work. Without a steady income, they were forced to sleep on the pavement near a traffic intersection. The girl had recently been enrolled in a nearby government school with help from a local woman.
According to the girl's father, the family had eaten and slept on the pavement the night of the incident. He said he woke around 4:15 am to his daughter's screams, grabbed a stick, but the assailant had already put the child into a vehicle and driven off. He chased the car but could not stop it.
Police traced the vehicle, a white Wagon R with a commercial plate, using CCTV footage and registration details. The accused, identified as Bashu Kumar Singh, was taken into custody around 11 am while dropping a passenger in West Delhi's Vikaspuri. He initially denied involvement but later confessed and led officers to the location where he had dumped the body near a forested stretch on the Faridabad–Gurgaon Road.
Forensic teams recovered the girl's body on Monday evening. Officers said the victim had ligature marks on her neck consistent with strangulation and multiple facial injuries indicating blunt force trauma. Police said the accused struck her with stones and a brick. Samples from the vehicle were sent for forensic testing.
During a court appearance on Tuesday, the accused was remanded to two days police custody. Police said the suspect allegedly attempted to snatch a service revolver from an escorting officer and fired at the party while being taken to the crime scene. He was injured in the leg when police returned fire and was subsequently admitted to hospital. A separate case for assault on a police officer has been registered.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal confirmed the arrest and said the probe is continuing to establish the sequence of events, motive, and any possible accomplices. “We are examining CCTV, vehicle movement data, mobile call records and forensic evidence. Action will be taken swiftly,” he said.
The girl's father described her as caring and ambitious, the eldest who looked after her younger siblings and dreamed of education. Police said they will provide legal and social support as the case proceeds.
