NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old woman was on Wednesday abducted, allegedly gangraped by her neighbours, and paraded on the streets in Delhi’s Shahdara district, with the accused chopping her hair and forcing her to wear a garland of slippers around her neck.
Police said they have arrested seven women and apprehended two boys from the accused family. Two other accused are on the run.
Police said the motive appears to be personal enmity.
One of the family members of the accused, aged around 15 or 16 years, was stalking the woman and also proposed to her, which she rejected. On November 12 last year, he left home and allegedly committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. The family blamed the woman and wanted revenge.
In one of the videos of the incident, a group of women can be seen thrashing the victim while parading her. Neighbours and locals are seen clapping, with no one coming forward to intervene.
In her statement to police, the woman alleged she was at home with her two-year-old child on Wednesday when some of the accused allegedly barged into their home, abducted her and took her to their house in Shahdara.
She alleged that a group of men locked her inside the house and raped her while the women “instigated” the men and later thrashed her with sticks. They also blackened her face and paraded her with a garland of slippers around her neck.
Condemning the attack on the woman, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet: “How did the criminals get so much courage? I request the Union Home Minister and the L-G to direct police to take strict action and pay attention to the law and order situation. Delhiites won’t tolerate such heinous crimes and criminals at any cost.”