After the assault, the girl and her friend managed to leave the Astha Kunj park and called the PCR from the boy’s phone. (File Photo)
NEW DELHI: The three men accused of gangraping a 17-year-old girl at Astha Kunj Park in southeast Delhi followed her for nearly a kilometer before closing in, after which they took turns sexually assaulting her at different locations including benches, summoning each other to the spots over phone calls, police said on Wednesday, according to PTI. The probe has also revealed that the three accused — Asif, a vegetable wholesaler aged around 32, Hemant, and his brother Mahesh, a final-year BSc Mathematics student aged around 24 — used to frequent the park and allegedly lurk in its secluded areas, police said. Investigators suspect that some victims may have refrained from approaching police due to fear of social stigma.
They threatened the duo by posing as police personnel and warned them of registering a case against them,” another senior officer said, PTI reported.
Police also said Hemant and Mahesh showed “no remorse” during their initial questioning, according to officials. No formal complaint in this regard had been received, according to police sources. Police said while one accused allegedly assaulted the girl, another kept watch, and repeatedly called each other over mobile phones after one had finished, summoning the other to the spot. Asif, a resident of Tughlakabad who works at the Sriniwaspuri mandi, has known Hemant and Mahesh for around four years, police said.
Police are checking their criminal records and past activities to ascertain whether such allegations can be substantiated. “They followed them for nearly a kilometer and then confronted them.
The investigation has also raised suspicion that the accused may have been involved in similar incidents at the park earlier.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assaul)
With investigation into the case deepening, it has also emerged that one of the accused, Hemant, an advocate aged around 24, was removed from a gym about a month ago after its management allegedly received several complaints from women regarding his behaviour, a senior police officer said.