Delhi: 4 force teen to lick their shoes, sexually assault him; arrested

NEW DELHI
The Delhi Police have arrested four men for forcing a 17-year-old boy to lick their shoes at gunpoint in Jahangirpuri, and then allegedly sexually assaulting the teenager and sharing a video of the act on social media.
Officers said the teenager was targeted because he is a relative of the rival of one of the accused. They said the four men followed a twisted logic — that the attack would humiliate the rival, and would help them assert dominance in the area.
The assault took place on September 4, but the victim filed a police complaint only on September 17 as he was scared about coming forward to report the case. All four accused were arrested from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, officers said.
Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Satish Kumar said the accused were identified as Harish Bhatia, 38, Pankaj (goes by one name) alias Maya, 37, Abhishek Kumar alias Aman, 25, and Aryan Kumar alias Mannu, 22. All accused have previous criminal involvements and are associates of jailed gangster Vikas Lagarpuria, DCP Kumar said, ruling out a caste angle to the incident.
Police said Bhatia has six criminal cases registered against him, including murder, while Pankaj came into the limelight for his role in the attempt to free Lagarpuria from inside the Dwarka court in 2013.
The teen, a resident of Jahangirpuri, in his complaint said that on the night of September 4, he was returning home when he was stopped by the four accused.
“The four allegedly beat up the teenager, kicking him with their feet, and then forced him at gunpoint to lick their shoes. They then sexually assaulted the boy to humiliate him, and captured videos of the act on their phones and shared the videos on social media,” an investigator probing the case said, on condition of anonymity.
Based on the victim’s complaint, a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, and the Arms Act was registered at the Jahangirpuri police station.
During the probe, police through technical and human intelligence learnt that the accused were hiding in Vrindavan and were trying to arrange money for their stay. Police then laid a trap and the accused were arrested on Tuesday, officers said.
Investigators said the assault on the boy stemmed from the fact that he is a relative of Bhatia’s rival.
HT is not naming the rival as it may help identify the minor.
According to police, Bhatia’s family in 2019 murdered a man — another relative of the rival — and in the case, Bhatia’s father and uncle were jailed.
“This led to a rivalry between Bhatia and the other man, and subsequently, several cases of attempt to murder and physical assault were registered against both the parties. Recently, the rival’s aide allegedly shot at Bhatia, and Pankaj and Aryan Kumar were injured in the incident. The four men then attacked the teenager as retaliation, and to assert their dominance in the area,” the investigator quoted above said.