Global Courant 2023-05-30 10:30:00
A rejected Indian man’s anger at being rejected by his ex-girlfriend led him to stab and then beat the helpless teen to death with a piece of concrete, initial police investigation found, as the bystander effect played out on a busy Delhi street .
Police arrested the 20-year-old man in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, a day after he assaulted and killed the 16-year-old girl in the Rohini neighborhood of the capital New Delhi.
Identified as Sahil by authorities, the refrigerator mechanic had fled by bus to the neighboring northern Indian state after his brutal clubbing on Sunday evening.
His location was traced to the town of Bulandshahr, more than 130 km away from Shahbad Dairy’s crime scene, after calling his father, which allowed the police to arrest him.
The girl, Sakshi, was on her way to a birthday party when Sahil intercepted her, local police said.
He can be seen in closed circuit television footage stabbing her repeatedly with a knife while pinning her against the wall with another hand, at one point stopping to adjust his grip on his weapon after it plunged into her skull got stuck before it hit her head. with a cement board lying nearby.
An initial post-mortem showed her skull had been lacerated by a blunt object and she had been stabbed 16 times, police said, while the final autopsy report has yet to be released.
The police describe the murder as a crime of passion, with the two having a romantic relationship since 2021.
Sahil was furious with Sakshi’s decision to end their relationship and had threatened to kill her a few days ago, a police officer told local media, adding that Sahil had suspicions that she was talking to an ex-boyfriend.
Investigators are also examining a tattoo with the name “Praveen” on her hand.
The latest post on Sahil’s Instagram account, which is public, is dated April 14 and shows him smoking shisha with his friends while rap music plays in the background. The users of the social media platform left comments on his page admonishing him for his alleged murder.
Bystander effect on infamous street
CCTV footage of the attack shows at least 10 people walking past them on the street in the Shahbad Dairy district of northwest Delhi.
Some stopped to look without intervening or calling the authorities, seemingly haunted by the bystander effect, the socio-psychological theory that individuals are less likely to offer help, where responsibility is dispersed when other people are present.
Local residents who spoke to Indian media said they were afraid to join for fear of being attacked themselves.
“This neighborhood, and especially this street, is notorious for drug users. People drink openly, and if someone questions them, they abuse and attack them,” said Indra Dev, whose son was questioned by police as part of an investigation after he was caught on CCTV on the street.
“Few would want to risk their lives in a place where such attacks are so common.”
