: A three-year-old girl was dumped in a pit after being sexually assaulted allegedly by a neighbour in north Delhi’s Sarai Rohilla on Monday.
The accused, 35-year-old Birbal, has been arrested.
According to the police, the victim had gone missing around 7.30 p.m. on Monday.
Lured away
“The girl and her six-year-old sister were playing outside their house in Harijan Basti, when Birbal lured her away on the pretext of giving her a chocolate,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma.
When she did not return home, her family members launched a search for her. Around 9 p.m., her father informed the police. The family’s landlord said the victim’s sister, who is dyslexic, kept mentioning Birbal, but nobody took note of it.
“A few hour later, when she narrated the incident to my father, we informed the police. Birbal had returned home by then and gone to bed after having a few drinks,” said the landlord.
The police arrived and started interrogating Birbal.
Accused breaks down
“Initially, he denied knowing about the whereabouts of the child. Later, he admitted to have taken the child to a desolate stretch near the Sarai Rohilla station and dumped her. However, he could not locate the spot as he claimed to have been drunk at the time of the incident,” said Mr. Verma.
Rescued
Around 4 a.m., a woman labourer who had gone near the pit to relieve herself heard the girl’s cries and raised an alarm. The police were informed, and the child was rescued.
She was rushed to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, where doctors confirmed sexual assault. She had injuries from her fall and marks on her neck due to strangulation. The police said the accused tried to murder her and then presuming she was dead, dumped her in the pit.
“A case under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 307 (attempt to murder) and 376 (rape) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act has been registered at the Sarai Rohilla police station,” said Mr. Verma.
