National capital Delhi was again brought to shame on Friday after a minor girl aged 17 was allegedly gang-raped and was hacked to death by four persons, of whom three were juveniles, the police said, adding that the horrendous incident came to light on September 13. According to police, her body was left in an open field where it was partly mauled by stray dogs, the police added.

Police said the incident was reported on September 13, when the victim’s decomposed body was discovered days after she had been murdered. Officials said the body’s remains had been mutilated to such an extent that determining her gender had become an arduous task.

Victim was known to accused

If the police are to be believed, the teen who met the ill-fate knew the accused and had been travelling with them in a tempo when the sexual violence unfolded. The group had allegedly been drinking together inside the vehicle and then resorted to the gruesome crime. All four accused stabbed the girl multiple times after violating her and dumped her body.

Her remains were discovered near the Jaipal Rana’s field in the Swaroop Nagar area on Kushak Road in North-west Delhi. Cops said stray dogs had preyed on her body, eating its several parts, while one of her hands was found detached from her body.

It is noteworthy that the girl had never been reported missing; her family told the police that she would often leave home for several days before returning.

All the accused have been arrested and have been booked under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Cops crack case through CCTV

Police had a major challenge lying ahead of them; no eyewitnesses and the identities of the culprits unknown. The cops then sourced footage from more than 50 CCTV cameras across the area and surrounding routes. The painstaking review laid bare a tempo moving near the crime scene around the suspected time of offence, although darkness shrouded its number plate.

The cops then traced the vehicle’s movement across multiple camera feeds, culminating in an overnight search operation on September 15 and 16 that led to the discovery of the tempo. Its driver was traced and interrogated, following which the police achieved a breakthrough. They got four suspects, including three juveniles allegedly involved in the crime.

Identities of accused

The adult accused has been identified as Shivam aka Sudama, a resident of Khadda Colony. The remaining three accused are juveniles, aged 16 to 17. Police said they have seized two knives allegedly used in the attack, along with the clothes worn by the accused and the tempo too.

According to police, they are persevering in efforts to piece together the sequence of events, determine the role of each accused and corroborate the findings with forensic and technical evidence.