New Delhi, August 22: A CCTV footage obtained by Delhi Police has revealed that the suspended city government official accused of raping a minor girl, tried to flee from his house along with his wife just hours before he was arrested. The footage with a time stamp of 9.35 a.m. on Monday morning showed the accused Premoday Khakha, a 51-year-old deputy director in the Woman and Child Development Department of the Delhi government, and his wife Seema Rani, a housewife, leaving their house in Shakti Enclave, Burari.
A police official said the couple were in touch with their lawyer and were on their way to seek anticipatory bail from a court. But before they could do so, Khakha and his wife were arrested. Khakha has been accused of repeatedly raping the class 12 girl between 2020 and 2021. Delhi Government Official Minor Rape Case: DCW Chief Swati Maliwal Stopped From Meeting Rape Victim (Watch Video).
The victim had met the accused at a church. Following her father's passing in 2020, she got into depression. The accused, who had already befriended her, took her to his house on the pretext of helping her. The girl told the police that between October 2020 and February 2021, when she was with her "guardian" who lived in Burari, she was raped several times.
Caught On CCTV
CCTV footage: Delhi predator Khakha couple made an unsuccessful attempt to evade arrest on Monday 9:35am, allegedly to meet lawyer & move bail plea.
Critical ask here is, if the FIR was lodged on 12Aug, then-
1. Why WCD & Delhi govt kept silence for 9days?
2. Why Delhi Police… pic.twitter.com/zKmgGibUNY
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) August 22, 2023
An FIR of rape read with sections of the POCSO Act was lodged against the accused and his wife. Also on Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had passed the order to suspend Khakha. According to the police, when the victim got pregnant, she was threatened with dire consequences by the accused. Delhi Rape Case: Rape Accused Government Official and His Wife Detained by Police.
When she narrated the ordeal to Khakha's wife, she sent her son to buy abortion pills, which were given to the victim. The girl is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 22, 2023 04:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).