Shahbad Dairy case: Murder, sexual assault, POCSO charges filed against accused

A month after the brutal murder of a 16-year-old girl at Shahbad Dairy, the Delhi police have filed the chargesheet against the accused, Sahil, on Tuesday. The charge sheet, consisting of 640 pages, was presented before a POCSO court.

The charges include section 12 of POCSO (punishment for committing sexual harassment upon a child) and sections of the Scheduled Caste and Schedule Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to court sources.

The accused, Sahil, has also been charged under IPC sections 302 (murder), 354 A (punishment for sexual harassment), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), in addition to provisions of the Arms Act.

The heinous act was captured on CCTV footage, which depicted the man repeatedly stabbing the girl approximately 20 times in broad daylight. Shockingly, numerous passersby witnessed the incident but failed to intervene and save her life.

According to the police, the victim had 34 injury marks on her body, and her skull was shattered. The charge sheet is expected to be acknowledged by the special POCSO court on July 1.

The identification of the accused was made possible through CCTV footage, and he was subsequently apprehended on May 29 in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, after his father received a call from his aunt. Sahil was then brought to the national capital on the evening of June 1 following a medical examination. The accused was presented before a duty metropolitan magistrate the next day, who granted permission for his two-day custodial interrogation.

The accused’s police custody was later extended by three days. The investigation revealed that Sahil and the victim were involved in a relationship, but they frequently quarreled. A fight ensued between them on May 27, prompting Sahil to seek revenge and commit the brutal murder the following day.

The weapon used in the crime, a knife, along with the clothes and shoes worn by Sahil during the incident, were recovered as per his disclosure, the police stated. Additionally, various pieces of evidence such as CCTV footage, voice samples, and biological evidence were collected.

The police sent a total of 14 biological exhibits, one chemical exhibit, four physical exhibits, and one cyber exhibit to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Rohini for examination.