A 1-year-old girl was raped allegedly by a 33-year-old neighbour in outer Delhi’s Aman Vihar on Wednesday morning. The accused has been arrested, the police said on Thursday.
Rakesh lives a few houses away from the victim’s home with his wife.
Families acquainted
According to the police, the families of the victim and the accused visited each other’s homes frequently and the child was familiar with Rakesh.
“She used to go to their house while playing outside. However, Rakesh raped her when she went to his house on Wednesday morning,” said a senior police officer.
Crying incessantly, the toddler returned home to her mother and grandmother around 9 a.m.
“The mother saw the girl bleeding profusely and took her to a nearby hospital. Suspecting rape, the doctors referred her to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital,” the officer said.
Rape confirmed
The police received a call from the hospital around 1 p.m.
“The victim was examined and the doctors confirmed that she was raped. She is undergoing treatment but is out of danger,” the officer said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer) M.N. Tiwari said a case has been registered and further investigation is under way.
“A case under Section 6 of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act has been registered and the girl is being counselled,” Mr. Tiwari said.
The victim’s mother works as domestic help in the area and has been living with her mother for the past year. The girl’s father resides in Mumbai and works as labourer. The couple got married three years ago but have been living separately due to personal differences. The girl’s father rushed to Delhi as soon as he was informed about the incident.
DCW assures help
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal, who visited the family on Thursday evening, assured them of help.
“Having to meet a one-year-old rape victim is simply unfortunate. She was simply staring at us with so many questions, for which all of us, including the government and the authorities, are responsible. The pain that the child and her family are going through is unimaginable,” said Ms. Maliwal.