A 20-year-old Manipuri woman was raped in Dwarka here late on Wednesday night allegedly by the driver of a car in which she took a lift while returning home from her workplace in neighbouring Gurgaon.
The victim, who had joined a spa centre in Gurgaon three days ago, took the lift in a car at IFFCO Chowk around 9 p.m. when she could not get a bus for home after a long wait at the bus stop.
According to North-East Support Centre and Helpline staff Angam Haokip, the car driver insisted that she sit on the passenger seat in the front with him and refused to take any more passengers. “She grew suspicious when the driver did not take the usual Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway route and turned in some other direction. When she confronted the drive, he told that he was taking an alternative route to avoid paying the toll. After driving a few kilometres, the driver pretended that he had lost way. At this, the victim called up her brother and told him about it,”
The woman's brother suggested that she ask passers-by where she was and call back. “The driver let her speak to passers-by so that she did not raise an alarm. He then took her to an isolated place in Dwarka and raped her inside the car. The woman's brother kept trying her mobile all this while, but it was out of reach,” said Mr. Haokip.
The accused even physically assaulted her and left her unconscious at the spot.
“When she regained her senses, she made a call to her brother and friends who located her and took her to hospital. The matter was reported to the police in the morning,” said Mr. Haokip.
Two debit cards and the shoes and socks of the culprit were found at the spot, said Mr. Haokip.
Confirming the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West) Anil Ojha said: “We have registered a case in this connection and investigations are on.”
Though the police were tight-lipped about the progress made in the case, sources said that the details of the culprit were procured through his debit cards and the victim identified his photograph. The police were reportedly carrying out raids in Gurgaon till late at night to arrest the culprit.
The victim had come to Delhi in 2010 and was staying with her brother in Mahipalpur. As she was new to the job, her employer had assured her that he would in a couple of days arrange a cab for her to return home at night.
