A 17-year-old girl was gang-raped by three men who posed as police officers at Astha Kunj Park in Delhi’s Kalkaji area on Monday evening, 21st September. The three accused, identified as Asif, Hemant and his younger brother Mukesh, were arrested after a police manhunt, Delhi Police said on Tuesday, 22nd September.
According to police, the teenager had visited Kalkaji Temple with a male friend before the two went to Astha Kunj Park in southeast Delhi. Shortly after they entered the park, the three men approached them and claimed to be policemen.
Delhi | A PCR call vide DD No. 93 at 08:45 PM regarding an alleged rape near Kalkaji Mandir, ISKCON Temple, was received. The victim, aged 17 years, reported that she came along with her friend, aged 17 years, to Delhi at the Kalkaji Temple. At 7 PM, after darshan in the Kalkaji… https://t.co/1D7ELDo6ij
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2026
The men accused the teenager and her friend of being minors and threatened to take action against them for “doing wrong”. Police said the accused then separated the girl from her friend and took her to an isolated part of the park, where she was sexually assaulted.
According to the girl’s complaint, Asif threatened her with a firearm and a knife. The other two accused assaulted her afterwards. The three men also threatened the girl and her friend, police said. Following the incident, a PCR call was received at around 8:45 pm, after which a police team reached the spot.
Delhi Police formed several teams to track down the accused. A team led by Inspector Rajender Dagar received information about Asif’s movement near District Magistrate’s Office Road in Amar Colony and set up a trap.
Police said Asif opened fire at the police team after being asked to surrender. He reportedly fired three rounds, with one bullet hitting a head constable’s bulletproof jacket. The policeman then fired two rounds in self-defence, one of which hit Asif in the right leg, officials said.
Police highlight safety concerns at park
Delhi Police Joint Commissioner Vijay Kumar confirmed the arrests and said the accused had used a false identity to approach the teenagers. “The accused allegedly posed as policemen and tried to take action under that false identity,” Kumar said. He added that whether the three accused already knew each other is still being investigated.
Kumar also pointed to several security issues at Astha Kunj Park. “The park is very large and accessible from several points. Its boundary wall is broken at multiple places, some gates have no guards and several areas are poorly lit,” he said.
Police said a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions related to aggravated penetrative sexual assault and other offences.
The reported case is the fourth sexual assault case involving a minor reported in Delhi in the past two weeks, according to the information provided by the police.
