25-year-old school dropout who raped 60-year-old woman held

A 60-year-old woman was raped by her 25-year-old neighbour, who barged into her house in South Delhi's Mehrauli area on Saturday.

The victim was reluctant to file a case owing to social stigma, but after her relatives intervened, she mustered the courage to report the incident. The accused, who was on the run has been arrested.

The accused, Sanjay had barged inside the senior citizen's house during the small hours of Saturday, said a senior police official from South District. "The woman had not locked the door as she expected her son to return from work," added the cop.

Sanjay, who was reportedly drunk during the time of the incident, threatened the woman with dire consequences and then forced himself on her. Following the gruesome act, he fled from the spot. The woman kept the incident to herself for twelve hours, said cops.

However, when her family noticed that she was visibly disturbed, the woman revealed the incident to her daughter.

"The woman did not report the incident because she was afraid that she would be shamed in public. After her family convinced her to report the incident, she approached Mehrauli police station and filed the complaint," said police.

After registering a FIR, a team was deputed to Sanjay's house but he was found to be missing. The cops eventually nabbed him from his sister's house in Pul Prahladpur on Sunday. During his interrogation, he claimed that he was not in his senses on the day of the incident.

"He is a school dropout and has been involved in several incidents of theft and robbery. He was out on bail in a theft case," the official added. A local NGO has been roped in to counsel the woman, while the accused has been sent to jail on Tuesday after being produced before a city court. mpost