NEW DELHI: Out to celebrate her birthday with a friend after visiting Kalkaji Temple, a 17-year-old girl from Faridabad was allegedly raped by three men posing as cops in Aastha Kunj Park near the bustling Nehru Place Monday evening. Police arrested one accused after an exchange of fire Tuesday morning and two others soon after.The girl, a student of Class XI, had gone to the park with a male friend, also 17, after visiting the temple around 7pm. They entered the park from a gate that’s close to Lotus Temple. Their nightmare began unfolding when the three men in plainclothes allegedly approached them and began intimidating them. They told them they were minors and doing something “wrong” and that their parents would be informed. They said a case would be registered and threatened to call the PCR, police said.They then allegedly manhandled and slapped the girl’s friend before taking her away to a secluded part of the park. Police said one of the men, Asif, threatened her with a firearm and a knife and raped her. The other two, Hemant and Mukesh, then allegedly took turns to rape her. The three men then fled after threatening the girl and her friend. The incident happened between 7.30pm and 8pm.
One of accused arrested after exchange of fire
The girl called the PCR around 8.45pm and a team from Amar Colony police station, about 2km away, rushed to the spot. Police recorded the girl’s statement.Joint commissioner of police (southern range) Vijay Kumar said she was examined at AIIMS and crime and FSL teams inspected the scene. Some used condoms were found on the spot.A case was registered under BNS sections 70(2) for gang rape; 61(2) for criminal conspiracy; 115(2) for voluntarily causing hurt; and 351(3) for criminal intimidation along with sections 6 and 17 of Pocso Act.Police formed teams to trace the accused. Clues provided by the girl about the clothes the men were wearing and the names with which they were addressing each other proved critical in helping police make headway. With the help of some local enquiries and CCTV footage from the vicinity, where Hemant and Mukesh, who are brothers, were spotted, police were soon on the trail of the criminals.A breakthrough came around 6am Tuesday when a team received information about Asif having been spotted near DM Office Road in Amar Colony and laid a trap, said an officer.When police finally intercepted Asif and asked him to surrender, they said he fired three rounds. One bullet hit head constable Rajesh, who was wearing a bulletproof jacket. Rajesh then fired two rounds, one of which hit Asif in his right leg, police said.He was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment. As Asif began singing, police tracked down Hemant and Mukesh and arrested them later in the day.Police said Asif is a wholesaler of vegetables at Okhla mandi. He is married and has a daughter. Hemant’s father, advocate J R Dhankar, has told police that his son is a lawyer, a claim that police are verifying. Mukesh is a BSc student.Dhankar has accused police of framing his sons. “One of my sons is an advocate practising at Saket courts while the other is pursuing BSc in mathematics. Police picked them up from their home in Sriniwaspuri early in the morning without informing us. Their statements were taken forcibly. This is a conspiracy. They did not know Asif. They were at home Monday and did not go out,” he alleged.Police, however, claim that the three men have said during interrogation that they had met each other about three months ago.Aastha Kunj, unlike its name which spells hope, has gained notoriety over the years for lack of security. Over the past few years, several cases of robberies, snatchings and harassment have been reported here.The park, which was meant to serve as a link to Kalkaji Temple, Baha’i Temple (Lotus Temple) and Iskcon Temple, and also gives access to Nehru Place District Centre and the extended food and entertainment zones, is managed by DDA.It is spread across 140 acres and has 29 entry points. Police said they have been regularly asking DDA to strengthen security measures, including improving CCTV coverage and lighting.When asked about this, DDA told TOI that it was undertaking a “comprehensive assessment of security manpower and deployment requirements”.
