NEW DELHI: At least 13 cases of rape and sexual assault have been reported across India’s capital New Delhi and neighbouring National Capital Region (NCR) districts since the beginning of September, several involving children and teenagers.
The cases range from the gang rape and murder of a teenage girl in north Delhi to the sexual assault of minors in homes, a hotel, a tailoring shop and public spaces, according to Indian media reports.
In the latest case, three men posing as policemen threatened and raped a 17-year-old girl at Aastha Kunj Park near Kalkaji Temple in southeast Delhi, police said.
The three suspects were arrested after using police language and threats to isolate the teenager and her male friend in the park, according to police.
The incidents have intensified concerns about women’s and children’s safety in the Indian capital and surrounding cities.
Rape and sexual assault cases
On September 2, a 61-year-old man was arrested in Gurugram for raping a five-year-old girl at his house in Sector 28 after her parents had sent her there for lessons. Police said the child was bleeding when she returned home.
The same day in Ghaziabad, two girls aged 14 and 15 were gang-raped after being lured to a vacant house in Loni’s Tronica City. Police later arrested two suspects following an encounter.
On September 3, Ghaziabad police arrested two men accused of gang-raping a minor girl after taking her to a hotel on the pretext of helping her find a job.
On September 6, a young woman in Delhi alleged that she had been drugged and raped. She approached police after a video linked to the incident surfaced online.
#Watch | Thousands of students take out a protest march against the Astha Kunj rape case and issues concerning women’s safety at Delhi University in New Delhi on Monday (September 28, 2026).
📹: @Sushil_Verma9 pic.twitter.com/tGKecfgKm9— The Hindu (@the_hindu) September 28, 2026
On September 10, police in west Delhi registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after a four-year-old girl told her mother that a school-cab driver had sexually abused her in Ranhola.
The same day, a seven-year-old boy in Nihal Vihar was sexually abused by a neighbour.
In north Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar, a 12-year-old girl was raped by a 33-year-old relative.
In Narela, a 13-year-old Class 8 student was kidnapped and raped by a young boy. Two of his friends filmed the assault and threatened her with consequences if she spoke about it.
Teenager killed after gang rape
On September 12, a 16-year-old girl in Swaroop Nagar was gang-raped and murdered by four youths, including three minors, after she went to meet a 17-year-old acquaintance.
Police said the girl was stabbed repeatedly and her body was dumped in a field.
The incident has drawn particular attention because of the killing following the sexual assault.
On September 14, a nine-year-old girl in Swaroop Nagar was abducted while asleep and raped by a 40-year-old neighbour and distant relative.
On September 16, a 10-year-old girl was lured into a tailoring shop in Sadar Bazar, where she was restrained with her hands and legs tied and sexually assaulted, police said.
On September 15, a young woman was found wandering through a housing society in Raj Nagar Extension in Ghaziabad wearing torn clothes and asking residents for clothing. The circumstances raised suspicions of gang rape.
The latest case was reported in Kalkaji, where the 17-year-old girl was gang-raped by three men posing as police officers.
Rape cases raise safety concerns
The reported incidents have occurred in different settings, including homes, neighbourhoods, hotels, commercial premises and open spaces.
In several cases, the attackers were known to the victims. In others, police said suspects used deception or false promises to gain access to them.
The Kalkaji case was particularly notable because the suspects impersonated police officers. Police said they used threats and police terminology to convince the teenager and her friend that they were dealing with law enforcement officers.
The incidents have caused panic in the public over the safety of women and girls in Delhi.
Delhi University students held protests following the gang rape of the 17-year-old in Aastha Kunj Park.
