Peculiar Symbol, CCTV Footage: Inside Delhi Police Probe In Rape-Murder Case

New Delhi: A peculiar symbol noticed on a tempo after analysing 50-camera CCTV footage proved handy in the probe of the alleged gang rape and murder of a teenage girl here, whose decomposed body and the absence of a missing complaint by her family posed serious challenges for the Delhi Police.

A girl, aged around 15-17 years, was allegedly raped, stabbed to death and dumped in an open field by four people, including three minors, after she went with them in the tempo. They were known to each other and allegedly drank together before the incident, the police said.

The body of the girl was found in the field near Jaipal Rana's field on Kushak Road on September 13. It was so highly decomposed that the gender could not be immediately ascertained, while some parts of the body had also been eaten by stray dogs and one hand was found separated from the body, police said.

The family had not filed a missing complaint, as the girl would often leave home and return after a few days, according to police. Her parents are daily wage labourers, and the family did not have documents to establish her exact age. A doctor subsequently opined that her age was between 15 and 17 years, police said.

With no apparent eyewitness or immediate clue about the identity of the victim or the perpetrators, investigators initially faced difficulty in establishing what had happened and identifying those involved.

There were also no CCTV cameras in the immediate vicinity of the spot. However, a camera located some distance away captured a vehicle moving around the relevant time. The vehicle was identified as a tempo, but its registration number could not be seen because of darkness, police said.

Investigators then began tracking the tempo across different CCTV locations. The only distinctive clue available was a peculiar symbol visible on the left side of the vehicle, which was used to identify and follow it through footage from around 50 cameras covering the area and adjoining routes.

"We shortlisted the vehicle based on a round ring type symbol and AC unit attached to it," a senior police officer said.

The painstaking CCTV analysis eventually helped police trace the suspected tempo to Khadda Colony in the Swaroop Nagar area during a night-long operation on the intervening night of September 15 and 16.

The driver was identified and questioned, following which the investigation led to the apprehension of four persons, including three juveniles, allegedly linked to the crime.

The accused has been identified as Shivam alias Sudama alias Chuchu, a resident of Khadda Colony, while the three juveniles are aged 16 and 17, police said.

Two knives allegedly used in the crime, clothes allegedly worn by the accused, and the tempo were recovered.

Police said further investigation was underway to establish the sequence of events, ascertain the individual roles of those apprehended and verify forensic and technical evidence.

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