Kalkaji park gang rape: accused shot in leg during police encounter, two still at large

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by three men who posed as police officers at Astha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Mandir in southeast Delhi on Monday night, the police said. One of the accused was later injured in a police encounter after he allegedly opened fire at a team that had gone to arrest him.

According to the police, the incident came to light around 8.45 p.m. after a distress call, following which a team from the Amar Colony police station reached the park. The girl was found at the spot with a friend.

In her statement, the girl said she and her friend had visited the Kalkaji Mandir and then entered Astha Kunj Park through Gate No. 7. Three men approached them claiming to be policemen, separated the two and took the girl to a secluded part of the park, the police said.

One of the accused, identified by the police as Asif, allegedly threatened the girl with a firearm and a knife before sexually assaulting her, according to her statement. The other two accused allegedly sexually assaulted her as well. Her friend was also assaulted, and both were threatened by the men, the police said.

The girl was medically examined at AIIMS. A crime team and personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory examined the scene and collected exhibits. The girl's friend is also being medically examined, the police said.

A case has been registered under Sections 70(2) (gang rape of a girl below 18), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 351(3) (aggravated criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 6 and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which relate to aggravated penetrative sexual assault and abetment respectively.

The case is the latest in a series of reported sexual offences against minor girls in the capital in recent weeks. 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 persons, including three juveniles, were apprehended. On September 16, a minor girl was allegedly sexually assaulted inside a shop in Sadar Bazar after she went out to buy stationery. On September 21, a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in Kishanganj, and a 34-year-old man was taken into custody.

After the case was registered, the police formed several teams to trace the accused. One team received information that Asif was moving near DM Office Road in Amar Colony. The team laid a trap and intercepted him, and he allegedly opened fire at the personnel, the police said. According to the police, he fired three rounds despite being asked to surrender, and one of the bullets struck the bullet-proof jacket of Head Constable Rajesh. The officer then fired two rounds in self-defence, one of which hit Asif in the right leg, the police said.

The injured accused was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment. A crime team and an FSL team were called to the encounter spot, and further legal proceedings are under way.

The police said they are continuing efforts to trace the two other accused.

Sexual offences can be reported to the police helpline 112, the women's helpline 181 or Childline 1098. Survivors are entitled to free medical care and legal support under Indian law.