Woman was sexually assaulted, say Delhi police; condition critical: She wanted to fly, now she can’t even walk, says father a day later
The 24-year-old woman and three others, including the accused, were on their way to Connaught Place in an autorickshaw on Friday The 24-year-old woman and three others, including the accused, were on their way to Connaught Place in an autorickshaw on Friday
After a 24-year-old woman working at a five-star hotel in Delhi was allegedly thrown off the fourth floor of an under-construction building in Begumpur, her father rushed to the hospital, anticipating the worst. He saw her — battered and bruised — at Bhim Rao Ambedkar hospital and, for a brief moment, thought it was not his daughter.
“First I thought it wasn’t her. I knew my daughter does not go out with friends as she has a salary of Rs 15,000. She could barely manage the rent for her Rohini home. She wanted to become an airhostess and was saving up for the course,” her father said. But his relief soon gave way to horror as after he looked at the girl’s heavily scarred face. “I was shocked. She had cuts and bruises across her body. The man who did that to her had attacked her like an animal. How could someone do this to a human being? This is the work of a devil,” he said.
The 24-year-old woman and three others, including the accused, were on their way to Connaught Place in an autorickshaw on Friday. They made a stop at Begumpur after the accused, a former colleague of the woman, offered to pick up his car for the rest of the journey.
Police said he lured the woman to the fourth floor of an under-construction building, while her friends waited downstairs in the autorickshaw. The next thing they knew was that she had fallen from the building and several people had gathered at the spot. Police claimed the woman was allegedly sexually assaulted and fell trying to fight off a rape bid. However, they are waiting for the woman to regain consciousness to shed further light on the case.
DCP (Rohini) Rishi Pal confirmed that the accused has been arrested and sent to judicial custody. “We are yet to ascertain what transpired between the two. Prima facie it appears that the accused tried to sexually assault her and after she threatened to raise an alarm, he threw her from the building. But we still have to speak to the woman,” said a police officer.
Her father, who irons clothes at Laxmi Nagar, had saved money from his meagre savings to get his daughter enrolled at an institute for airhostess training. However, the woman’s younger brother developed cancer, and she was forced to take up the job at a hotel. “She was looking after the table section. She had been under training and was thinking of changing jobs. She had completed eight months here. She had also made plans to pursue a BA course from Delhi University as she was afraid that he dreams of travelling in a flight may never materialise. Now I don’t even think she can walk,” he said.
Her mother has not spoken since the incident and communicates only through soft wails. The woman is yet to regain consciousness — the only signs of life evident when she responds to pain stimuli. Doctors have put her under conservative treatment and have ruled out surgery as of now. With severe head injuries, her condition continues to remain critical. “She has sustained head injuries after the fall and has been admitted to the neurosurgical ward. Her condition remains critical,” said Dr Punita Mahajan, medical director of the hospital.
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