The child was raped, bitten, hit with stones and left to die
A 26-year-old man has been arrested for the horrific rape and torture of a four-year-old girl in Delhi last week. The accused, Rahul is among the four men who were detained by the police on Monday.
The child, who was raped, bitten, hit with stones and left to die, reportedly named Rahul after regaining consciousness in hospital. According to the girl, the accused lured her to a jungle in Keshav Puram area in north-west Delhi with noodles and Rs 10, say police sources. There, another man is suspected to have brutally raped her, sources add.
The child's father has alleged that the accused even tried to throttle her but ran away after they heard someone approaching. The girl managed to crawl back home, bleeding and in terrible pain. The incident happened on Friday night.
Rahul is a resident of the area as are the other three who were detained, say police sources.
Although the child is now out of danger, she has sustained extensive damage to her intestines and private parts, apart from bruises and bites all over her body. Doctors say she will need a series of surgeries over the next six months to recover completely.
Officers say that the case, which currently mentions rape, can also be expanded to include charges of attempt to murder after the child gave details of the brutal assault.
The chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, Swati Maliwal, who had visited the child at the hospital, described her injuries as "horrific". Comparing the assault to the 2012 gang-rape of a student in Delhi that had led to nationwide protests, she said, "Every day, we have a Nirbhaya in Delhi."