A visit to Kalkaji Mandir on a teenager’s 17th birthday ended with an alleged gang rape inside Delhi’s Aastha Kunj Park. Within hours, police arrested three men accused in the case. One was injured in a police encounter, while the other two were picked up from their home.
Now, the investigation is moving beyond the alleged assault itself. Police are examining whether the three men had been using the sprawling park regularly, whether the crime was planned and whether there were earlier incidents involving them that were never formally reported.
Here is what is known about the three accused and what investigators have found so far.
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First, Who Are The Three Men?
The three accused have been identified as Asif, 30, Hemant Singh, 31, and Mukesh Singh, 24. Police say the men knew each other and were familiar with the Aastha Kunj Park area.
Asif worked as an onion wholesaler at Okhla Mandi and lived near the park. He is married and has a 13-year-old daughter. Police said he frequently visited Aastha Kunj Park. Investigators are also examining allegations that he had previously been seen carrying a knife and had harassed couples in the area.
Hemant Singh is a law graduate who, according to his family, has practised as a lawyer. He lives in Sri Niwaspuri with his younger brother, while their parents are based in Faridabad. Police are verifying his educational and professional background. Reports have also said that he was removed from a gym around a month before the alleged incident after its management received complaints from women about his behaviour. The circumstances of that episode are being examined.
Mukesh Singh, Hemant's younger brother, is a final-year BSc Mathematics student, according to their father. The brothers live in Sri Niwaspuri, while their parents are based in Faridabad. Their father, JR Dhankar, is a practising advocate in Faridabad and Delhi.
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What Happened Inside Aastha Kunj Park?
According to police, the 17-year-old girl and her 17-year-old male friend visited Kalkaji Mandir on the evening of 21 September before going to Aastha Kunj Park.
The two were reportedly sitting in a relatively secluded part of the park when the three accused allegedly approached them while pretending to be policemen.
Police said the men used legal and police-related language to convince the teenagers that they were in trouble. The accused allegedly separated the girl from her friend and took her towards a secluded area.
Asif allegedly threatened the teenagers with a firearm and a knife. Police allege that all three men subsequently sexually assaulted the girl at different locations inside the park.
Her male friend was allegedly restrained and assaulted during the incident.
The teenager and her friend eventually managed to leave the park. The boy used his phone to contact the police, triggering the investigation.
The case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, or POCSO. Under POCSO, anyone below 18 is legally considered a child.
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Why Do Police Suspect It May Have Been Planned?
This is now one of the central questions in the investigation.
Police say the three men were regular visitors to Aastha Kunj Park. On the day of the alleged assault, investigators believe they spent around 45 minutes moving through the park before approaching the teenagers.
Police also recovered an unlicensed firearm and a knife from Asif after his arrest. Investigators have said condoms were also recovered and are examining whether the items indicate prior preparation.
Criminal conspiracy provisions were subsequently added to the FIR, according to reports. Police are examining the accused men's movements, phone records and digital activity to establish whether there was planning before the alleged assault.
The phones of all three accused have been sent for forensic examination. Investigators suspect that some search history and other media were deleted. Police also said they found objectionable or pornographic material on Asif’s phone.
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What Happened After The Alleged Crime?
Police say Hemant and Mukesh went to an eatery after the alleged assault before returning to their home in Sri Niwaspuri.
Investigators allege that they then washed their clothes. Police are examining whether this was an attempt to remove possible forensic evidence.
Their phones were also seized for forensic analysis.
Asif was arrested separately on Tuesday morning near the district magistrate’s office in Amar Colony.
According to police, he allegedly opened fire at the police team trying to intercept him. Police said three rounds were fired and one bullet hit a head constable’s bulletproof jacket. The officer then fired two rounds in self-defence, one of which struck Asif in the leg.
He was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment.
What Happens Next?
The investigation is now focused on forensic examination of the accused men's phones, their movements before and after the alleged assault, CCTV footage from surrounding areas and their call records.
Police are also checking whether other incidents involving the accused may have gone unreported.
All three men have been arrested, but the allegations against them will ultimately have to be tested through the legal process.
The case has also brought renewed scrutiny on security inside Aastha Kunj Park, including lighting, CCTV coverage, guards and patrolling.
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TL;DR | News At a Glance
Who are the accused in the Kalkaji gang-rape case?
Police identified them as Asif, Hemant Singh and Mukesh Singh.
What are they accused of?
Police allege that the three posed as policemen, separated a 17-year-old girl from her friend and sexually assaulted her inside Aastha Kunj Park.
Was the crime planned?
Police suspect it may have been planned and have added conspiracy provisions to the FIR. Their phones, movements and other evidence are being examined.
What has police found about their past?
Investigators are checking allegations that Asif had previously carried a knife and that the three had harassed couples in the park. These incidents were not formally reported, and no previous sexual offence has been established in the sources reviewed.
What happened to the three accused?
All three were arrested within hours of the alleged incident. Asif was injured in a police encounter, while Hemant and Mukesh were arrested from their home.
