In the second such incident reported in the Capital in less than a week, a 21-month-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her neighbour in New Seelampur on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Hari Ram (40), has been arrested.
Victim abducted
According to the police, the incident was reported around 8 p.m., when the girl’s mother left her playing outside their house. The victim’s father, who owns a grocery store nearby, was watching over her.
However, when the man went to attend to some customers, the accused allegedly took the girl away.
He then took her to his house, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
After around 15 minutes, he dumped her near her house, said the police.
Girl complains of pain
Her father said that when the girl returned, she complained of pain in her abdomen.
“My wife presumed that she wanted to relieve herself and took her to the washroom. However, she was shocked to see her bleeding profusely from her private parts,” said the father.
The family then took the child to Chacha Nehru Hospital, from where she was referred to Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital.
A subsequent medical test confirmed sexual assault.
The accused was caught by the family the same day, and handed over to the police.
A local had purportedly seen the man taking the girl away, who then informed her family.
Accused confesses
The family said the accused initially tried to feign innocence and blame the act on one of the victim’s relatives. However, upon being thrashed by locals, he purportedly admitted to the crime.
Hari Ram worked as tailor and hails from Bihar.
The child, meanwhile, underwent a minor surgery on Tuesday and will remain admitted at the hospital for the next 10 days.
