Delhi Police is preparing to approach the Juvenile Justice Board to seek permission to try three juveniles as adults in the alleged rape and murder of a girl in outer Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar, officials said. The move is being considered because of the alleged offence’s gravity and the manner in which the girl was killed.
An officer said all investigative angles were being examined and alleged that the girl had been stabbed around eight times. Police are working to complete the investigation and file a chargesheet at the earliest, possibly within a week, according to officials quoted in the report.
The police are also considering bone ossification tests for the three accused to help establish their ages. The test estimates age through bone development and maturity. The Juvenile Justice Board’s consideration of whether the accused should be tried as adults would therefore depend partly on the determination of their ages and the applicable juvenile justice process.
Investigators may also conduct an ossification test on the victim because her family has not been able to provide documents establishing her age. Police said identifying her initially proved difficult, and that her identity was eventually established with the help of a tattoo on her hand.
According to the police account, one of the accused allegedly told investigators that the girl had been pressuring him to marry her and that he killed her over the issue. Police said this claim was being verified and had not been established as a final finding. Investigators allege that the girl had gone to meet a friend, who then called some associates. The group allegedly boarded a goods-carrying tempo driven by the brother of one of the juveniles.
Police said the accused allegedly told investigators that they had been consuming alcohol. Investigators allege that the girl was sexually assaulted inside the vehicle and later stabbed multiple times. The suspects allegedly told police that they killed her because they feared she would report the assault. These allegations remain part of the investigation and will be tested through the legal process.
The police have seized the tempo allegedly used in the crime. A ring-like object recovered from the vehicle reportedly helped investigators develop leads that led to the suspects. Two knives allegedly used in the crime and clothes suspected to have been worn by the accused have also been recovered, police said.
The immediate next steps are the possible application before the Juvenile Justice Board, age-related testing and completion of the investigation. Police are also working towards filing the chargesheet, potentially within a week, officials said.
