Five days after he allegedly raped a five-year-old girl here, a 22-year-old married man was arrested from his in-law’s house in Muzaffarpur in Bihar early this morning with investigators saying that it appeared that he fled the capital within an hour of committing the crime.
Manoj Kumar, a casual worker in a garment factory in north-east Delhi, was apprehended from Chiknouta in Muzaffarpur, about 50 Kms from Patna, at around 2 am, Prabhakar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), told reporters here.
During initial interrogation of Kumar, who will be brought to Delhi from Patna, the accused told investigators that he left home at 7 pm on April 15 to catch Swatantrata Senani Express which left Delhi at 8:30 pm, Prabhakar said.
The girl’s mother had told police that the victim, who was playing outside their home, went missing around 6 pm and if the versions of both the mother and Kumar are to believed, the abduction and the brutal rape of the victim took place within one hour.
“We have got the transit remand of Kumar. He is being brought to Delhi. We will have to interrogate him to ascertain the facts,” Prabhakar said.
Kumar, who got married a year ago, came to Delhi with his father of Bindeswar Sahi, who runs a juice shop in Old Seelampur, about 15 years ago. He had two brothers and four sisters who are staying in Bihar.
About the sequence of event, Prabhakar said, Kumar told police that he left the home at around 7 pm for the train at 8:30 pm. He reached his native village on April 16 evening and then the next day, he went to his in-law’s place.
Asked whether any other person was involved in the incident, he said they have to interrogate Kumar to know about the involvement of others.
“He told us that he left the house thinking that the girl was dead. The girl was inside the house for 40 hours,” Prabhakar said.
Asked about allegations that no woman constable accompanied the girl when she was taken to hospital, he said the MLC has recorded the presence of the two women constables at the time of incident.
Queried about when did Kumar rented the accommodation, he said there were discrepancies in the statements given by the house owner and Kumar.
A case under section 188 CrPC has been registered against the house owner for not getting tenant verification.
Delhi Police had yesterday slapped attempt to murder section against Kumar, who is also allegedly involved in a trespass case.
Prabhakar said that they have slapped sections 307 (attempt to murder), 376 (a) (rape), 362-A (kidnapping) among others of IPC and 6 and 9 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act, 2012 against Kumar.