Broken Wall and Abandoned Slippers Lead Police to Assault Suspect in Delhi
In a remarkable display of investigative work, Delhi Police cracked the case of a 10-year-old girl's sexual assault in central Delhi's Prasad Nagar area using seemingly insignificant clues: a pair of abandoned slippers and a gap in a broken stone wall leading into a forested ridge. The breakthrough came after intensive efforts by multiple police teams working around the clock.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The incident occurred on January 11 when the young survivor, who helps support her family by selling flowers at traffic signals, was brought to a hospital with severe injuries. Despite being disoriented, she managed to provide police with crucial fragments of information about her surroundings, including a "blue-painted room" and a "broken entry point." These details became the first substantial leads in the case.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Anant Mittal immediately formed three specialized teams to pursue the investigation. The teams conducted a thorough search across a 20-square-kilometer radius, manually inspecting 22 locations with similar features to those described by the survivor while simultaneously analyzing hours of CCTV footage from the area.
The Crucial Breakthrough
The investigation took a significant turn when police examined CCTV footage from Professor Ram Nath Vij Marg that matched the details shared by the young girl. Officers then focused their attention on a deserted stretch of the ridge where they discovered a broken stone wall leading to a small, secluded structure.
The recovery of the girl's slippers at this location confirmed it as the crime scene, allowing forensic teams to meticulously reconstruct the route taken by the accused between 11 pm and 1 am on the night of the incident.
Coordinated Police Efforts Yield Results
While one team conducted ground searches, a second team scanned footage from over 100 CCTV cameras installed across the area. A key development emerged when one camera captured a red e-rickshaw with a white roof carrying the minor. With no name or registration number available, investigators relied entirely on this visual identification of the vehicle.
Based on this critical visual evidence, a third police team began searching e-rickshaw stands in Karol Bagh and Rajendra Place. Photographs of suspected drivers were circulated among investigators until the distinctive vehicle was finally traced near a petrol pump in Rajendra Place.
Apprehension and Recovery of Evidence
Police later spotted a man matching the victim's description approaching the identified e-rickshaw. When he noticed the police presence, he attempted to flee but was quickly chased down and apprehended by officers.
The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Durgesh from Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, allegedly abducted, raped, and left the child unconscious in the secluded area. Following his arrest on January 14, he led police to the recovery of blood-stained clothes, further strengthening the case against him.
The young survivor has since been discharged from the hospital following comprehensive medical treatment and counseling. The case demonstrates how meticulous police work, combined with the courage of a young survivor, can bring perpetrators to justice even when faced with limited initial evidence.
