Rape survivor shot at in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar; two held

A man who was out on interim bail in a rape case was arrested in Delhi for allegedly shooting the victim who had accused him, police said on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Abuzair Safi, 30, the accused in this case, allegedly attacked the woman in the chest while she was travelling in an auto-rickshaw in South West Delhi’s Vasant Vihar.

Advertisement

“The woman was on a call while travelling in an auto-rickshaw when two men, riding a black motorcycle, came from behind and allegedly shot her, with the bullet hitting her in the chest,” police said.

The victim, who works as a head manager at a salon in Basant Lok, had filed a rape complaint against Safi in 2024, the police said, adding that his accomplice, Aman Shukla, was also arrested.

“The survivor was found conscious and medically fit. In her statement, she said that she was travelling and was on a call when two persons on a black motorcycle approached her from behind. One of them, Saifi, who was driving, fired a shot that struck her in the chest,” Amit Goel, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West), said.

Although she is undergoing medical treatment, based on her statement, a case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act at Vasant Vihar police station.

DCP Goel added that Safi was granted interim bail last month.

“The police were informed about the incident when a PCR call was received at around 9.49 pm on Wednesday about a woman being shot near the Poorvi Marg area in Vasant Vihar,” the officer added.

“The police immediately reached the crime scene and found an auto-rickshaw and its driver, Ranjeet Yadav, who informed them that a female passenger had been shot and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre by PCR personnel,” Goel stated.

While probing the case, police used technical surveillance, CCTV footage analysis, and local intelligence inputs to initially arrest Aman Sukhla on Thursday, also confiscating the motorcycle used in the shooting.

Subsequently, police arrested the main accused, Abuzair Safi, on Friday and recovered the weapon used in the crime.

Investigation is underway, the DCO added.