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Police said the accused, reportedly a local shopkeeper, took the girl to a place where she was sexually assaulted. According to the police account, the accused also tied the girl’s hands and legs before the assault.
Delhi Police received a PCR call at around 11 pm on September 16 regarding the sexual assault of a minor in the Sadar Bazar area.
Following the information, teams from the Sadar Bazaar police station, the ACP Sadar Bazaar office and the women’s police station reached the spot and began an investigation.
Based on the girl’s complaint, police registered a case at the North District Women’s Police Station under relevant sections dealing with rape, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and wrongful confinement.
Police subsequently arrested the accused, identified as 56-year-old Maksood. He was produced before the court and sent to judicial custody. Further investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway.
The identity of the minor has not been disclosed in accordance with legal provisions protecting child victims of sexual offences.
According to the NCRB’s 2023 report, an average of around three minors were raped every day in Delhi based on the reported cases that year. Official NCRB data for 2024 and 2025 has not yet been released.
The incident comes days after another rape and murder of a minor was reported in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar area.
On September 13, police recovered the body of a girl from an open field near Jaipal Rana’s farm on Kushak Road. Police later arrested four people in connection with the case after examining footage from more than 50 CCTV cameras and tracing a tempo linked to the crime. Three of those arrested are minors.
Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Lata Gupta had also met the victim’s family and assured them of legal assistance, counselling and support during the judicial proceedings.
The allegations in the Sadar Bazar case are subject to investigation and legal proceedings.
