Man arrested for Hauz Khas Village rape; was detained by police a month ago, let off

19-YEAR-OLD ACCUSED SENT TO JUDICIAL CUSTODY, WORKED AT RESTAURANT IN THE AREA

A 19-YEAR-OLD man, arrested for allegedly raping a 23-yearold woman inside Deer Park near Hauz Khas Village (HKV) on Sunday, was detained in another case — of car battery theft — a month ago. But he was let off as police couldn’t find any evidence to prove his involvement at the time.

On Tuesday, DCP (south) Ishwar Singh said the accused has been identified as Raja alias Jundal, a resident of Arjun Vihar. He was produced before a Delhi court, which sent him to judicial custody in Tihar Jail till February 25, the DCP said.

Police said the accused was well aware of the topography of the area. “Raja was earlier working with a restaurant at HKV, but was sacked. He now works at another restaurant,” an officer said.

Narrating the sequence of events, the DCP said that at 2.45 am on February 19, the woman approached the HKV police booth and said she had been raped by an unknown man.

“She told police that the accused had taken her to the park on the pretext of offering her a lift home. Instead, she said, the man forced himself on her. When she tried to resist, he threatened to bash her head in with a stone and raped her twice. She finally managed to escape after hitting the accused on the head with a stone. She got out of the park by scaling the boundary wall,” he said.

Police said the accused did not own a vehicle.

During questioning, the accused told police that he had consumed liquor before targeting the woman, who was trying to hail an autorickshaw.

“After sustained interrogation, he disclosed that he had raped the woman twice. He also confessed to stealing her iphone and Rs 600 in cash from her handbag,” the DCP said.

Police said he threw the SIM card and tried to sell the mobile, but couldn’t unlock it. He used the stolen money to buy snacks.

Police said they have seized the accused’s undergarments — which he had not changed since the incident took place — and sent them to the forensic science laboratory for tests.

The DCP added they have enough evidence to link him to the crime. Police said the blood from his head injury will be matched to that found on the victim’s clothes, which they have sent for testing as well. “We will file the chargesheet against him within a month,” Singh said.

While the accused has no prior criminal record, police are questioning him to ascertain if he was involved in other crimes.

“A few weeks ago, police were investigating the theft of car batteries in Safdarjung Enclave. They had detained nearly 50 locals, and the accused was one among them. But he was released after questioning,” police sources said.

Praveen Khanna The accused in police custody, Tuesday. He told police he had consumed liquor before raping the woman.