'Deaf-mute woman raped in Delhi'

A 'deaf and mute' woman was 'repeatedly raped' in the national capital's northeast area, an official said in Delhi on Tuesday, adding that the culprit who committed the heinous crime has been arrested.

According to the official, the victim was 'repeatedly raped' by a 34-year-old man, identified as Rehan, a resident of Maujpur, Delhi, since November 21.

The victim girl, who was accompanied by her mother and sister, lodged a complaint on December 5 after which, a counsellor appointed by Delhi Commission for Women was called, but since the victim was deaf and mute, an interpreter was required for recording her statement.

"Due to late night hours, any interpreter wasn't available. Later, a private interpreter was arranged and DCW counsellor counselled the victim with the help of the interpreter and her statement was also recorded with the help of the interpreter," the official said.

The medical examination of the victim was conducted at the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital. The police registered a case under sections 376(2)(n) and 506 of the Indian Penal Code at the Bhajanpura police station and the investigation was taken up.

During the course of investigation the accused was arrested after which the cops produced him before a local court on Monday.

"The Court has sent the accused to judicial custody," the official informed, adding that further investigation in the case is still on.

Recently, during an event, Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana had averred that the safety of the women in the national capital is their topmost priority. "Overall the approach is that if a woman is in distress, if a child is in distress, then proper attention is given to them," Commissioner Asthana had said.

But what do the figures say?

The crime against women in the national capital continued to show an upward trajectory, compared to last year's data.

According to the data compiled by the Delhi Police, 1,725 women have been allegedly raped in the current year till October 31 in the city. In 2020, 1,429 women had to face the heinous crime till the same period. Comparing to the data with the last year, there has been an increase of 20 per cent.

In 2020, the total number of crimes against women stood at 7,948 which this year has increased to 11,527. In total, the crime against women has increased by a massive 45 per cent in the national capital in just (past) 10 months.