New Delhi: A sweeper has been arrested for allegedly raping an 87-year-old bedridden woman after breaking into her house in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar, police said Tuesday. The accused has been identified as Ankit (30). He worked in areas in and around Tilak Nagar, police informed. The incident took place Sunday night when the woman’s daughter had gone out to meet a friend, the police said.
“The case of sexual assault of elderly lady in Tilak Nagar has been solved. Culprit in this blind case nabbed within 16 hours. Victim’s mobile phone recovered from him. Accused lives in nearby locality and works as a sweeper,” police said in a tweet.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Prashant Gautam said they had received a report Monday regarding the sexual assault of an elderly woman.
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“Soon after receiving the information, we deployed a team. We managed to zero in on the accused within 16 hours. The accused was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident,” Gautam pointed out.
An investigation is underway to ascertain the exact motive of the accused behind the crime, the police said. The police had set up a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the matter.
A case has been registered under sections 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 376 (Punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to officials.
The elderly woman’s family members had alleged that the police delayed action and did not take their complaint. However, the charge was denied by officials.
Police had said that only a complaint of theft was lodged Sunday night. A case was registered ‘promptly’ on its basis at the Tilak Nagar police station.Tthe complainant alleged Monday that she was also sexually assaulted and the relevant IPC sections were added to the case, they said.
According to the woman’s family members, the accused broke into the house. After the elderly woman spotted and questioned him, he said he worked with a gas agency and was called to the house for some work. When the woman tried to raise an alarm as she found him to be suspicious, the accused attacked her, sexually assaulted her and stole her mobile phone.