A 36-year-old butcher was arrested on Monday for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl after kidnapping her and later killing her in the forest area of Yamuna Khadar in central Delhi, the police said.
The accused was known to the victim’s family and purportedly killed her because the victim knew about his relationship with her mother.
The police said the victim’s father approached them on the intervening night of August 4 and 5. He said around 4 a.m., when he woke up, he found his daughter was missing. An FIR was registered under Section 363 (kidnapping) and investigation was taken up. The police searched extensively but the victim was not found.
On August 18, the victim’s body was found near Yamuna Khadar area. The police said the victim had sharp injuries but the complainant was able to identify her. After conducting a post-mortem, Section 302 (murder) and the POCSO Act was added, DCP (Central) Shweta Chauhan said.
The police received a tip-off that Rizwan alias Badshah, a butcher by profession, would often visit the jhuggi frequently. He had befriended the victim by buying her sweets. The police revealed that on the day of the incident, Rizwan had come to Yamuna Khadar.
On the day of the incident, Rizwan reached the neighbourhood around evening and consumed alcohol and drugs. He then waited till the victim’s family members slept. He kidnapped the victim and took her to a secluded place in a forest near Yamuna Khadar, following which he raped her.
Accused was known
The victim’s 41-year-old father said that Rizwan would often come home and everybody knew him. He said that Rizwan was a notorious criminal in the area and was involved in several cases. However, the father said that Rizwan maintained decent relations with the victim’s family.
The father figured out the body after a local farmer informed him. “We found it on August 18 and it was in a decomposed state,” he said.
DCW issues a notice
The Delhi Commission For Women has sought an action-taken report from the police in connection with the case.
In a statement, the commission said they received a complaint from the victim’s mother on August 17 that her daughter has been missing. “It has been reported in the media that the girl was sexually assaulted before being murdered. This is a very serious matter,” the statement said.
