Our male friends sat as mute spectators: Delhi’s Aman Vihar rape victims

Miss Alone

Prime VIP
“Our male friends just sat as mute spectators, watching us being raped,” the two teenage girls allegedly gang-raped by five youths in outer Delhi’s Kirari area on Wednesday told the police.
“We expected them to intervene and save us. We kept shouting for help but they did nothing,” the teenagers told police.
Sources told HT that the two male friends, who were with the girls aged 17 and 18 years near the Mundka Metro station when the five youths spotted them, did not try to stop the rape and saw the entire episode sitting in a corner. One of them even refused to record his statement, an investigating officer said.
Police on Thursday arrested two youths and caught two juveniles in connection with the case. One youth, however, managed to escape. Teams have been sent to arrest him. “We have mounted technical surveillance on the fifth youth and are trying to trace his location. We have sought help from the local intelligence. Three teams have been sent to different directions to raid his possible hideouts.
The probe is on and arrest will soon be made,” an investigator said. “While one of the accused is pursuing graduation through distance learning, the others are unemployed,” he added.
As per the police, Manish (19), Shivam (19) and three others, were passing by from the area when they spotted the two girls sitting with their male friends near the metro station at a secluded spot. The stretch was isolated and there were no streetlights around 7.30pm.

The five youths allegedly approached the girls and teased them. When the girls stood up to leave the area, the youth allegedly caught hold of them and molested them. “The youth allegedly slapped the male friends of the girls and then dragged them further to a dark spot where they took turns to rape them, while the male friends silently witnessed the assault,” a police source said.
After raping the girls, the men fled. It is only later that the girls made a PCR call and informed the police.
Locals told HT, that this was the third case of rape reported from the same area. Earlier this year, an 8-year- old girl was abducted and raped in the area and body of a woman was also found inside a sack at the same spot. People said that despite their demands for putting up sufficient lights and increased patrolling, nothing has happened.
Angry residents gathered at the police station and several intersections of the area to protest the gang rape.
Congress leader, Pratyush Kanth, said, “Our area has become a safe haven for criminals. Lack of police presence due to the fact that Kirari is the only constituency which doesn’t even have a police station of its own is the reason why criminals roam here freely. People living here have to walk at least 10 kilometers to Bawana, where the Aman Vihar police station for Kirari residents is located. There is no police patrolling and not even a single security camera has been installed till date,” said Kanth.
Police said that the men were not known to girls. A case under protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act and India Penal Code has been registered.
 
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