Accused is known to victim in 98% rape cases: Delhi Police to parliamentary panel

New delhi: The Delhi Police on Wednesday informed a parliamentary panel that 98 per cent of rape victims in the national Capital were either close relatives or acquaintances of the accused, sources aware of the meeting said.

The disclosure was made before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by Congress MP Anand Sharma.

Along with the Delhi Police, officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Women and Child Development deposed before the panel at the meeting, the agenda of which was rising crime against women, sources said.

In 44 per cent of the total rape cases in Delhi, the accused were from victim's family or a family friend, 13 per cent were relatives and 12 per cent neighbours, the Delhi Police said while making a presentation on the heinous crime and the relationship between rape victims and accused.

It also said 26 per cent accused were somehow known to the victim, three per cent were either employers or co-workers and just two per cent of the accused in rape cases were unknown or strangers to the victim.

Sources said during the meeting, members of the panel suggested a slew of measures such as more emphasis on gender sensitisation and launching of awareness campaigns to prevent such cases.

Those who attended the meeting included Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry Punya Salila Srivastava, Commissioner of Delhi Police S N Shrivastava and Special Commissioner of Police Nuzhat Hassan.

As per the latest crime records data released by the National Crime Records Bureau, Delhi had ranked in the top three for crimes against women and crimes against children in its category

of cities.