The incident took place when the girl had left her house to play in the locality, around 7 pm. Her mother discovered she was missing and searched for her at her neighbour’s house, local park and nearby shops.(Representational image)
A nine-year-old girl suffering from developmental disability was allegedly raped by a 23-year-old man inside his house in northwest Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar on Tuesday night. She was found by her family, covered in dirt and blood, and it was only when she was asked to take a bath that the rape came to light.
Police said the accused, Sonu, a wedding caterer, washed his undergarments in a bid to destroy evidence, before attempting to flee the spot. “He was arrested from the local bus stop. The girl was taken to a local hospital after the incident,” said DCP (Northwest) Aslam Khan.
The girl, her family said, can only count to 10 and remember names of her family members. She studies in kindergarten. According to relatives, she used hand gestures to tell her parents about the rape. “She placed her hand on the mouth and we knew she had been gagged. My wife kept asking her about what happened and the she nodded when we asked if a man had forced himself on her,” her father told The Indian Express.
The incident took place when the girl had left her house to play in the locality, around 7 pm. Her mother discovered she was missing and searched for her at her neighbour’s house, local park and nearby shops. “She usually plays with other children. Sometimes she walks into shops when people offer her sweets,” her mother said.
The accused, who police say was heavily intoxicated, picked her up and took her to his room on the first floor of a building. Two locals later spotted her coming down the stairs, clutching her stomach, and informed the family. “I told my wife not to shout at her. When she was taking a bath, we noticed blood,” the father said.