A man accused of raping and torturing a 12-year-old girl in her Delhi house has been arrested, the police said. The survivor underwent a surgery at AIIMS hospital and was critical, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said earlier today, calling it a barbaric crime.
The survivor was sexually assaulted at her west Delhi house on Tuesday, when her parents were at work. She was repeatedly hit by a sharp object on her head and face and was lying in a pool of blood when her neighbours found her and informed her parents, the police said.
Her attacker had escaped the spot after committing the crime.
The girl was first taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and later shifted to AIIMS after preliminary treatment. According to reports, she was constantly bleeding.
"We received information on Tuesday regarding the assault of a minor girl. An FIR under section 307 (attempt to murder) and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act has been registered and further investigation is underway," senior police officer A Koan had said.
Mr Kejriwal on Thursday visited the survivor in the hospital and assured that he would assign the best lawyer to the case to ensure justice.
"The child is in a serious state, unconscious. A surgery has been done. She will be under observation for 24 to 48 hours," he said.
Before his visit to the hospital, Mr Kejriwal had tweeted that the savage assault "has shaken me to the core. Such predators roaming free cannot be tolerated."
BJP MP Gautam Gambhir has demanded justice to the girl.
"The brutal rape of a 12 yr old child is absolutely horrific! Those animals deserve nothing less than death. All of us are praying for her and I urge Delhi police to bring the perpetrators to justice at the earliest," he tweeted.
