A nine-year-old girl was killed after allegedly being sexually assaulted, and stuffed in a suitcase on Saturday in north-east Delhi’s Nehru Vihar, said police on Sunday. The accused fled the area after the incident and the police have formed six teams to nab him.
The police arrived at the spot at 8.40 p.m. A case has been registered at the Dayalpur police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 6 (punishment for aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
During Id-ul-Azha celebrations, the girl was asked to fetch ice from her grandmother, who lives in the same area. When she did not return home for a long time, her parents began searching for her.
“We started looking for her everywhere. Even an announcement from the masjid was made,” said the victim’s mother, who was inconsolable.
She was found in an unconscious state in a nearby flat. “I found it unusual for a suitcase to lie on the floor. I immediately opened it and saw my daughter inside,” said the victim’s father.
The girl was rushed to a hospital where doctors informed the police and the family members that she was brought dead.
“The doctors informed that the victim was brought dead. They observed injuries on her face and indicated possible sexual assault,” said DCP (North East) Ashish Mishra.
“We have formed six teams and raids are being conducted to nab the accused,” said an officer. The Forensic Sciences Laboratory teams were called to inspect the crime scene.
The incident sparked a protest by locals. On Sunday, a big crowd gathered at the victim’s house. The protesters raised slogans against the police, alleging “negligence”, and demanded immediate arrest of the culprit.
“We want capital punishment for the accused,” Imran Khan, a local, said, adding that the police must arrest the accused at the earliest.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
‘Political cunningness’
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) traded barbs, with Opposition party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal stating that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, to whom the Delhi police report, should be held responsible for the incident.
Mr. Kejriwal also alleged that “our daughters are not safe under the BJP government”.
Hitting back at AAP, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, “To reduce these incidents to mere law and order issues is political cunningness.”
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – June 09, 2025 01:40 am IST