New Delhi: A 16-year-old girl was shot at while returning from school in South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar area by her alleged social media stalker. The two were in touch via Instagram and the attacker shot the teenager after she started ‘avoiding him’, her family claimed, adding that he kept following her despite getting warnings from the beat constable of the area.
Three days before the incident, the teenager had told her family about being stalked and getting threats from the accused to speak to him. On Thursday, three boys allegedly chased her on a bike and the stalker opened fire at her, the family said. The girl, a Class 11 student, was with her mother, brother and cousin when the event took place.
Police said the minor has suffered a bullet injury on her left shoulder and is undergoing treatment at Batra hospital in Delhi. She is currently out of danger.
Speaking to ThePrint, the girl’s father Friday said that she knew only one of the accused – the guy who opened fire at her. He said his daughter “didn’t want to talk” to the attacker but he “started following her whenever she stepped out”.
“He roams around with anti-social elements. My daughter didn’t want to talk to him. He started following her whenever she stepped out. Two months ago, I spoke to the beat constable who told me that he will warn the boy. He stopped for 15 days then but started again. He is from the area so we thought he would understand and stop harassing her,” the father said.
Attacker wanted her to ‘pay attention to him’
Stating the motive of the attack, police said that the accused wanted the injured girl to pay “attention to him”.
“The minor stated that she knew one of the boys, who was in touch with her, through social media,” the DCP South Benita Mary Jaiker said Friday.
“On Thursday, around 3:47 pm information was received about a girl suffering a gunshot injury at Tigri police station. The police staff reached the spot where the girl was found and shifted to Batra hospital,” the DCP said.
In her statement to the police, the girl said that she noticed that three boys on a motorcycle were chasing her while she was returning from school. When she reached the B block of Sangam Vihar, one of them opened fire at her from behind and then all three speeded away from the spot.
A case of attempt to murder has been registered in the matter. DCP Jaiker said that three have been identified and efforts are being made to nab them.
“He wanted the girl to pay attention to him but she was ignoring him. Rest will become clearer when he is nabbed,” the officer said.
Father informed constable about ‘harassment’ two months ago
The father had also informed a beat constable about the “harassment”, following which the behaviour briefly stopped before it started again.
“Two months ago, I spoke to the beat constable who told me that he will warn the boy. He stopped for 15 days then but started again. He is from the area so we thought he would understand and stop harassing her,” the father, who works at a private company, said.
According to him, the two had been talking on Instagram for a year. Trouble started when she stopped talking to him.
“They have been talking on Instagram for a year but she stopped speaking to him in the last four months. He then started troubling her and would harass her. Three days ago, she told me that he follows her when she returns from school. He had her phone number. She told us at home that the boy is threatening her to speak to him after she started avoiding him,” the father said.
He said the incident happened around 2:45 pm and the school is located 2 kms away from their house.
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