New Delhi, INDIA: A 19-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries on Monday June 23 after being brutally assaulted and thrown from the fifth-floor terrace of her home in northeast Delhi by a man allegedly stalking her. The assailant, identified as 22-year-old Taufiq, was apprehended late Tuesday June 24 in Uttar Pradesh following a coordinated two-state manhunt by Delhi Police.
The incident occurred around 7:30 am in the Ashok Nagar locality of Jyoti Nagar. According to investigators, the accused gained access to the residential complex disguised in a burqa and proceeded to confront the victim, Neha, on the terrace where she had gone to check the water supply and do laundry.
Eyewitnesses and CCTV footage confirmed that Taufiq strangled Neha with her dupatta before forcefully pushing her from the rooftop. She fell onto a heap of construction debris and sustained grievous injuries. Despite immediate medical attention, she was pronounced dead hours later.
The case, initially filed under charges of attempted murder, has since been escalated to include murder charges under the Indian Penal Code. Law enforcement officials reported that six police teams were deployed across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh to trace and capture the suspect, who was eventually found in Moradabad, his hometown in Uttar Pradesh.
Taufiq had reportedly been working at a warehouse and occasionally assisted at a nearby grocery store in the same neighbourhood as the victim. He lived with his brother in Delhi, while the rest of his family resides in Moradabad.
Neha's family revealed that the terrace door of their multi-flat building is usually left unlocked. Her father, who was on his way to the terrace at the time of the incident, witnessed the attack and raised an alarm. Local residents rushed to the scene and helped transport Neha to a hospital.
Visual evidence from the crime scene, including scattered clothing, suggests Neha was in the middle of drying clothes when the assault occurred. Her elder sister was reportedly asleep, and their mother was on the balcony during the time of the attack.
The brutal nature of the crime has sparked widespread outrage in the community. In protest, the Mandoli Road Market shut down operations on Tuesday June 24, with the local traders' association calling for stringent verification of all employees’ identity documentation.
Authorities have since increased police presence in the area to prevent unrest and ensure public order. Neha’s funeral was conducted on Tuesday afternoon under heavy security, following a post-mortem examination.
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