85-year-old woman raped in Delhi’s Shakurpur, 1 arrested

New Delhi: An 85-year-old woman was allegedly raped in northwest Delhi’s Shakurpur area on Friday, police said.

Accused Akash (28) has been arrested in connection with the case, they said.

A senior police officer said an elderly woman reported that she was sexually assaulted by an unknown person in the early hours of the day. A case under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Subhash Place police station and an investigation was taken up, the officer said.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) issued a notice to the city police in connection with the alleged incident.

The 85-year-old victim, who was staying alone in a slum, alleged that a man barged into her living area around 4 am and raped her, the panel said.

“She has also informed that the accused punched her face, cut her lip with a blade and tried to strangulate her. There are injuries all over her body and private parts as well,” the panel said in its notice to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) district.

The panel has sought a copy of the FIR registered in the matter along with the fact whether the police have a list of all the elderly people living alone in the district.

The DCW has sought an action taken report on the matter by September 5.

“Our heart broke today. An 85-year-old woman who lived alone in a jhuggi in Delhi was raped brutally by a man. He attacked her viciously with a blade and she sustained several injuries. I met her and will never be able to forget her tears. What kind of a society do we live in?” the DCW posted on X.