86-year-old raped by plumber in Delhi, man arrested from spot

An 86-year-old woman was raped and assaulted, allegedly by a 37-year-old plumber, after he offered her a ride on his motorcycle and took her to a farm in an isolated area in southwest Delhi’s Chhawla on Monday evening.

The man was nabbed from the scene of crime after locals, alerted by the screams of the woman, rushed to help, police said on Tuesday.

Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Santosh Kumar Meena said, “The plumber was immediately nabbed and a case was registered at the Chhawla police station.”

On Tuesday, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal met the elderly woman and said she had several injuries and bruises on her body.

“The woman was found bleeding profusely and in extreme trauma. We will help the family in further legal proceedings in the matter,” said Maliwal.

The DCW in its statement said that the elderly woman (who the commission says is 90 years old) told them that on Monday around 5pm, she was waiting for the milkman when the plumber arrived at her house and told her that the regular delivery guy would not be able to make it. The man told her that he could take her to a nearby area from where she could purchase milk.

“...he then took the elderly woman to a nearby farm and raped her, ignoring her repeated pleas that she was of his grandmother’s age. The suspect also assaulted her brutally, when she tried to resist and protect herself...Later, local villagers passing by the area heard her scream and ran to help her. The locals caught hold of him and called the police...,” the DCW said in the statement.

Police, on the other hand, said that the woman, in her statement, had told them that she was a little distance away from the village, when the plumber saw her and offered her a lift on his motorcycle.

“The man then took the woman to a farm in a secluded place, which is nearly 2km away from her home, and forced himself on her. He also assaulted her. Prima facie, it appears that he does not have a criminal record. We are still verifying the allegations. He hails from another village in Chhawla,” said a senior police officer.

A DCW member, who did not wish to be named, said that the woman had been admitted to a government hospital where she was medically examined, given treatment, and discharged on Tuesday morning.

“A team of counsellors has been with her since Monday. The woman lives with her son and daughter-in-law, who were not present at home at the time of the incident,” the DCW member said.

DCW chief Maliwal added, “From a six-month-old girl to a 90-year-old woman, no one is safe in Delhi. The kind of trauma this woman had to face clearly indicates that the perpetrators of these crimes are not humans. I met the woman today. She is extremely courageous and we will ensure that she gets justice. This case needs to be fast-tracked and justice delivered within 6 months.”

The elderly woman’s statement was recorded by a magistrate, which is now admissible evidence against the 37-year-old suspect.