Delhi: Elderly woman raped in park, 30-yr-old arrested

A 30-year-old man was arrested Thursday for allegedly raping a senior citizen in a park in southeast Delhi.

The arrest was made after police found footage of the incident from a CCTV camera at the spot and detained 50 suspects who were in the area, including the accused. They identified him as the culprit after recreating the crime scene with all the suspects.

DCP (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said the accused, Sudhir Sabita alias Sutte, used to work as a helper at a restaurant in the area. “He lives with his elder brother in a rented house,” he added.

The incident came to light on Wednesday at 6 am. Residents were alerted to the unconscious woman by stray dogs that were barking.

“There were injury marks on her face… her clothes were torn. Residents initially suspected she was dead and told police they had found a body. Police reached the spot and took the woman to a hospital, where doctors said she was alive but had been raped,” a senior police officer said.

Police have registered an FIR under charges of rape against the accused. The woman is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

According to the DCP, beat constables were asked to detain suspects from the area. “We detained 50 men and questioned them… But we couldn’t identify the accused. As the CCTV footage showed the suspect was running, we asked all of them to start running… we then identified Sutte as the culprit,” said Biswal.

During questioning, the accused told police that on Tuesday night, he had consumed liquor and went to the park for a walk and found the woman sitting alone.

“He waited for the other residents to leave the park. Close to 12.45 am, he approached the woman and asked her to come with him. She objected and slapped him. He then allegedly raped her and fled,” said a senior police officer.

When asked if there was a night patrolling team in the area, Biswal said police personnel were present but it was not possible for them to be everywhere.