A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and killed in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar, with police apprehending four people, including three minors, in connection with the case.
The girl’s body was discovered in an open field near Kushak Road on September 13 after residents reportedly alerted police upon seeing dogs and other animals around it.
Police have since traced the suspects using CCTV footage and other investigative leads. The investigation remains ongoing as officers work to establish the full sequence of events and the individual roles of those accused.
Teen went to meet a friend
According to investigators, the girl went out on Friday evening to meet a 17-year-old boy she knew.
Police said the boy was apparently her friend and that three of his friends later joined them. The group was travelling in a tempo, while investigators are still establishing exactly where the alleged sexual assault took place.
Police have told the media that the suspects allegedly raped the girl before taking her to a field, where she was stabbed multiple times.
Investigators said the girl had threatened to report the alleged assault. Police are examining the roles of each accused and verifying the sequence of events through forensic and technical evidence.
The girl’s family had not filed a missing-person report. Police said her parents were unaware that she had gone out and told investigators that she would sometimes leave home and return after a few days.
CCTV trail leads police to suspects
Police began examining CCTV footage after the body was discovered, with no apparent eyewitness to the incident.
Investigators scanned more than 50 cameras around the field and nearby routes. One significant clue was a tempo seen in the area around the suspected time of the crime.
The vehicle’s registration number was initially difficult to identify because of darkness. Investigators subsequently tracked the tempo’s movements across different CCTV locations and identified the vehicle.
Police questioned its driver and learnt that his 17-year-old brother frequently used the tempo. The investigation then led officers to four suspects.
A night-long search operation between September 15 and 16 helped police locate the tempo in Khadda Colony, Swaroop Nagar. Four people were subsequently apprehended.
Police identified the accused as Shivam Ganesh, 19, and three minors aged 16 and 17. Police said they recovered two knives, clothes allegedly worn by the accused and the tempo.
The investigation is continuing.
POCSO and criminal proceedings
Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, including provisions relating to murder, rape and causing the disappearance of evidence.
Under the POCSO Act, anyone below 18 is legally considered a child. Gang penetrative sexual assault against a child is classified as aggravated penetrative sexual assault, with Section 5 specifically covering gang assault and Section 6 providing the punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault.
The three accused who are minors will be dealt with under the juvenile justice system. Their precise legal treatment will depend on proceedings before the competent authorities and court.
Police said the investigation has not been completed and that officers still need to establish the full sequence of events, determine the role of each accused and verify forensic and technical evidence.
The case comes amid other recent reports involving teenage girls and allegations of serious sexual violence.
On August 4, a 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped inside a bus in the Greater Noida area. The driver and conductor were later arrested, while the National Human Rights Commission sought a report from the authorities.
The Swaroop Nagar case involves different circumstances but also concerns a teenage victim and serious allegations of sexual violence.
