15-year-old gang-raped, landlord, accomplices held

New Delhi, Dec 18: On the eve of the horrific Nirbhaya gang rape anniversary, a 15-year old girl was brutally gang raped by her landlord and his two accomplices after being drugged while she was preparing dinner for her relatives on Thursday evening in East Delhi's Ashok Nagar. Police have arrested all three accused in the case.

In her statement to the police, the girl has said that the three accused had locked up the girl in a room for more than five hours and raped her in turns.

According to the girl, the men later dumped her outside her relatives' house and fled. She was spotted by her aunt who immediately alerted the police. "The girl was then admitted to a government hospital where doctors treated her before finally recording her statement," said a police officer.

The house in which the incident happened was rented by the girl's relatives on December 11. "We had to arrange for something as my brother could not climb the fourth floor room, due to an accident.

The girl (my niece) had offered to help the relatives with cooking and daily chores and arrived from our hometown in Muzzafarpur on the same day," said the girl's aunt.

"The incident happened around 9.30pm while the girl was cooking dinner for her uncle and aunt. The accused first gagged her and then forcefully carried her to a room on the floor above and raped her in turns till 2 am," said a police officer.

He added that the incident came to light when the girl's cousin, who lived nearby started to look for the girl. "The family members presumed that the girl had left home to buy groceries and lost her way back as she was new to the city."

When the family members returned to house after searching for the girl, they found the entrance gate locked from inside. The girl's other aunt tried calling the landlord but his phone was unreachable. Meanwhile, just when the family decided to inform the police, one of them noticed the girl lying on the bench in the courtyard.

"The girl was cold and lay unconscious. There were visible injuries to her face and bite marks on her neck. She was immediately rushed to the hospital. Once her statement was recorded on Friday afternoon, several teams were formed to track down the accused," the police officer said.

Senior officials said that while the initial investigation was initiated based on the description given by the victim, two of the accused in the matter were detained on Friday night.

"The men confessed to having raped the girl in connivance with the landlord. They also revealed that they had tried to lure the girl twice earlier but had failed as some family member kept visiting the ailing relatives," he said.

"The accused have been arrested under sections of gang-rape and criminal conspiracy based on the statement. The complainant is being counselled by professionals," said a high ranking official.