The Delhi Police on Tuesday said that they have arrested a sweeper in connection with the rape of an 87-year-old woman in New Delhi’s Tilak Nagar area.
The woman was bed-ridden and lived with her 65-year-old daughter, The Indian Express reported. She was raped after her daughter had gone out on Sunday afternoon.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Prashant Gautam said that the accused was inebriated at the time of the incident, according to PTI.
According to the woman’s family, the accused person had entered their home pretending to be an employee at a gas agency.
The 87-year-old’s daughter said when she returned home she found that her mother was bleeding and her clothes were torn, according to NDTV. Her phone was also stolen.
The family also alleged inaction from the police and said they were persuaded to lodge a theft complaint instead of a sexual assault complaint.
“The police were still not taking us seriously and were trying to dissuade us,” the victim’s grandson-in-law said, according to The Hindu. “We had to take the help of social media to highlight the matter after which, a senior police officer listened to us.”
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Prashant Gautam, however, denied the claims.
“Based on the allegations made in the first complaint of the victim, a case of theft was registered,” Gautam said, according to The Indian Express. “Now again, as alleged by the complainant in her complaint, we are adding relevant sections of law in case FIR.”
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