Shahdara Gang-Rape: First 2 Arrests Made in Case Based on Sister's Complaint

The survivor’s sister’s complaint was only turned into an FIR on 29 January, said DCP Shahdara.

On 26 January, a 20-year-old woman was allegedly kidnapped, gang-raped, beaten up, and then paraded in the colony with her head shaved off, her face blackened, and a garland of footwear around her neck.

(Photo: Twitter/Swati Maliwal, altered by The Quint)

Six days before a Delhi woman was allegedly gang-raped, kidnapped, beaten up, and then paraded in a Shahdara colony on 26 January, her sister had submitted a lengthy written complaint to the police against the accused family.

On 3 February, the Delhi Police made the first two arrests in the matter registered based on the complaint made by the survivor’s sister.

It is pertinent to note that the survivor’s sister had submitted the complaint – in which she wrote that she feared for her life – on 20 January. At the time, it was not turned into an FIR.

On 26 January, the 20-year-old woman was allegedly kidnapped, gang-raped, beaten up, and then paraded in the colony with her head shaved off, her face blackened, and a garland of footwear around her neck. A video of the incident was shared on social media by Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal.

So far, in the sexual assault case, 14 people have been arrested, and four minors have been apprehended.

DCP (Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaram told The Quint that the survivor’s sister’s complaint was turned into an FIR on 29 January. It is to be noted that this happened three days after the complainant’s sister was allegedly gang-raped.

The DCP said that two women have been arrested in the FIR filed on 29 January, under sections of molestation, assault, and intimidation, among other sections of the IPC.

On 3 February, the survivor’s sister told The Quint, “Had the police acted swiftly to my complaint and filed an FIR on 20 January itself, there’s a chance my sister would not have gone through this horrific tragedy. They could have averted this.”

The 20 January Police Complaint

On 28 January, The Quint had reported that the survivor’s 18-year-old sister said that the two sisters had allegedly “faced rape and murder threats for months” from some of the accused.

She had said that on more than one occasion, police intervention was sought, and that both the sisters were so terrorised by the accused that they stayed at their grandmother’s house in Haryana for a few weeks each in December 2021, and January 2022.

On 12 January, the survivor’s sister was allegedly beaten up by one accused woman, and a PCR call was made, she said. On 19 January, the sisters’ aunt, who was visiting, was beaten up by members of the accused family. The same day, their autorickshaw was burnt down, allegedly by the accused.

On 20 January, the 18-year-old went to the Vivek Vihar police station and submitted a complaint, which was accessed by The Quint. In that, she had written:

“…Naa hi yeh kaam karne dete hai, naa hi yeh kamaane dete hai. Main apna ghar kaise chalaungi? Mujhe inn logo se khatra hai… Dhamki dete hai, izzat ki, jaan ki. Main majboor hu sir, mujhe tumhaari sahayta chahiye.(These people don't let me work on earn any money. How am I supposed to run my house? I fear for my life... They threaten me to kill me... I am helpless, sir, I need your help.)”

Case Background

As per the Delhi Police, one of the arrested women – who can be seen parading the survivor in the video, as identified by the survivor's sister – allegedly told the police that her 16-year-old son died by suicide in November 2021, and for that she holds the survivor responsible.

The 18-year-old had told The Quint on 28 January that since the minor’s death, his family had started torturing her and her sister. She had said, “A 16-year-old boy in our locality was after my sister. She is married and lives a few kilometres away with her husband, and every time she would visit, this boy would trouble her. He would tell her to leave her husband, he would threaten her. He told her he loved her but she had no interest. She was distressed. In November, he died by suicide.”

The survivor’s sister claimed that she was beaten up, abused, threatened with murder and sexual assault by various members of the deceased boy’s family.

What Happened on 26 January?

The 18-year-old had gone to her sister’s home nearby to drop off a sack of flour, and was allegedly followed by the accused women. As soon as the survivor exited her house, the women forcefully put her in a vehicle, snatched her two-year-old son, and took away her sister’s phone.

She was taken to the Shahdara locality, and locked up in a room, where she was allegedly gang-raped and beaten up. The survivor’s sister told The Quint that she hid inside her house with her two-year-old nephew, and pleaded with a relative and at least two neighbours to lend their phone so she could call the police.

The woman was rescued by Delhi Police personnel, sent for a medical examination, and was counselled by members of the DCW. She was put up in a women’s shelter home for a few days. On 3 February, a 17-year-old girl, a minor, was apprehended in the case, and a 39-year-old man was arrested. As of now, four minors have been apprehended, and 14 people have been arrested.