‘Lewd SMS’ brought sexual assault case to light

The FIR further disclosed that she was gang-raped three times very recently by four minors,led by the driver of the van in which they used to go to school. The shocking incident had come to light on Friday after the woman,a single mother who used to make both ends meet by running a small paying guest business in Karol Bagh,approached the Prasad Nagar police station and lodged a complaint about the incident.

The driver,Lalit Ratwal (32),who was arrested on Friday,was produced before a magisterial court on Saturday and the investigators were allowed two days’ custodial interrogation to collect evidence and trace his four alleged accomplices. The police have,so far,not been able to recover any MMS clip or lewd photographs of the victims from Ratwal.

The four delinquents,all 13 to 14 years of age,were students of the same school in Rajinder Nagar — JD Tytler — in which the victims studied. As per the police,the girl was also studying in the same school until recently,when her mother got her admitted to Salwan School in Old Rajinder Nagar.

According to officials,the accused used to give the children a sedative-laced toffee everytime they took her to one of the juvenile accused’s house in Karol Bagh. They were also asked to sniff some sedative sprinkled on their hands,the marks of which were reportedly noticed by the mother. Initial reports,however,did not mention the presence of any injection marks on the body of the girl,as alleged by the mother.

When the children were brought to magisterial court for recording their statements on Saturday,their mother broke down in court and asked: “Their life has been destroyed. What will happen to them now?” The magistrate consoled the mother,assuring her that nothing bad could happen to them anymore.

Meanwhile,around 80 residents of Prasad Nagar assaulted Ratwal while the police were taking him for medical examination on Saturday morning. The relatives and neighbours of the victims also demanded suspension of the Prasad Nagar SHO,alleging that he had misbehaved with the victim’s mother.