3 men posing as cops rape teen in park in Delhi's Kalkaji

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men who posed as police personnel inside Astha Kunj Park in Delhi's Kalkaji area on Monday evening.

All three accused -- Asif, Hemant and his younger brother Mukesh -- were arrested following an hours-long manhunt, Delhi Police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the teenager and her male friend visited the Kalkaji Temple before going to Astha Kunj Park in southeast Delhi.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) Vijay Kumar said a PCR call was received at around 8.45 pm regarding the girl, who had come to the park with her male friend. "They first went to the temple and then to Aastha Kunj Park, towards a somewhat secluded area," he said.

Following the PCR call, the SHO of Amar Colony police station and police staff reached Astha Kunj Park, where the girl was found with her friend, police said.

The girl told police that shortly after they entered the park, the three men approached them while posing as policemen. They allegedly told the two that they were minors, accused them of "doing wrong" and threatened to register a case against them.

The accused then allegedly separated the girl from her friend and took her to a secluded spot inside the park, where they allegedly raped her one after another.

According to her complaint, Asif threatened the girl with a firearm and a knife before raping her. The other two accused allegedly raped her subsequently. The three men then threatened both the girl and her friend, police said.

Several teams were formed to trace the accused. A team led by Inspector Rajender Dagar received specific information about Asif's movement near District Magistrate's Office Road in Amar Colony and laid a trap.

Police said Asif fired three rounds at the police team despite being asked to surrender. One of the bullets hit a head constable's bulletproof jacket. The policeman then fired two rounds in self-defence, one of which struck Asif in the right leg, officials said.

Delhi Police Joint Commissioner Vijay Kumar said the accused allegedly posed as policemen and tried to take action under that false identity. He added that whether the three accused knew each other is a matter of investigation.

"The park is very large and accessible from several points. Its boundary wall is broken at multiple places, some gates have no guards and several areas are poorly lit," he said, highlighting the safety vulnerabilities at Astha Kunj Park.

While Asif was arrested following an encounter in the Amar Colony area, the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the other two accused are yet to be ascertained.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions relating to aggravated penetrative sexual assault and other offences.

FOUR MINOR ASSAULT CASES IN 14 DAYS IN DELHI

The Kalkaji gangrape case is the fourth reported case involving the sexual assault of a minor in Delhi in the past two weeks.

On Monday, a six-year-old girl was raped on Deshbandhu Gupta Road. The accused, identified as Ankit, has been arrested.

On September 17, a Class 6 girl who had left her home in Sadar Bazaar to buy a pencil and books was held hostage by a tailor at his shop. Police said the accused, identified as Maqsood, tied her hands and legs and raped her. He has been arrested.

On September 10, a 17-year-old girl went to meet a friend, who gangraped her along with his friends and murdered her in Northwest Delhi's Swaroop Nagar. The teenager was stabbed eight times and her body was found eaten by dogs on September 13. Police arrested four people in connection with the case, three of whom are minors.