His minor friend’s henna -coloured hair and white wristband, and his own unchanged clothes helped the police crack the Deer Park rape-cum-robbery case, which happened last Saturday.
A 19-year-old has been arrested in connection with the incident, the police said on Tuesday.
Raja alias Jendal was picked up early on Tuesday morning from a park where he was sleeping, said the police.
Victim’s statement
As per the victim’s statement, Raja and his minor friend had spotted her cousin and her outside a pub as they were leaving. The duo met the women at the exit point of Hauz Khas Village to board an auto, when Raja’s friend told the victim’s cousin that he would help get them a better deal on the trip rate quoted by autorickshaw drivers late at night.
Group separated
However, the four allegedly got separated due to the weekend rush — the victim with Raja and her cousin with the juvenile. Along the way, the juvenile convinced the cousin that the victim would reach home safely.
He dropped her at her residence in another part of south Delhi and left.
Challenge for police
Meanwhile, the accused took the victim near a dry pond made for ducks inside the Deer Park and raped her twice. He also threatened her to kill her, said the police. The first challenge for the police was to identify the accused. It was here that his minor friend’s henna -coloured hair proved to be a vital clue.
“We could not identify the accused from the CCTV footage we had. From the victim’s statement and other evidence, we deduced that the juvenile applied henna to colour his hair. His reddish-brown hair was not a very common colour. Further, from the CCTV footage of the place where the victim’s cousin was dropped, we spotted the minor’s white wristband,” said a senior police officer.
Boy spotted
A beat constable spotted a boy with reddish-brown hair, the same hairstyle and wearing a white wristband. The minor was immediately questioned. He revealed that he was with Raja, who cleans utensils at several pubs and shops in Hauz Khas Village and is a resident of Arjun Nagar, on Saturday.
Phone switched off
Raja’s phone was found switched off. He was also not able to use the iPhone he had snatched from the victim as it was locked. A raid at his house also proved unsuccessful.
“We decided to decided to carry out manual surveillance. While looking for him at a park, a team spotted him sleeping on a bench. The clothes he was wearing matched the description provided by the victim. He had not changed clothes since the day of the incident,” said the officer.
