Delhi Police traced a tempo marked with a peculiar symbol in New Delhi on September 15 after reviewing footage from 50 cameras, leading to the arrest of four suspects in the rape‑murder of a 15‑year‑old girl.
The victim’s body was found on Kushak Road’s Jaipal Rana field on September 13, so decomposed that gender could not be confirmed. No missing‑person complaint was filed because the girl was a daily‑wage labourer’s daughter who often left home for short trips.
Investigators first faced a void of witnesses or nearby cameras. A distant CCTV captured a tempo whose registration number was obscured by darkness, but a distinctive round‑ring symbol on its left side provided a clue. Senior Police Officer Arvind Kumar said the symbol was the only visual anchor that allowed the tempo to be tracked across 50 cameras covering adjoining routes.
The tempo was finally linked to Khadda Colony in Swaroop Nagar, where police launched a night‑long operation on September 15‑16. The driver, Shivam alias Sudama alias Chuchu, was identified and questioned, and four persons, including three juveniles aged 16 and 17, were taken into custody. Two knives, clothes, and the tempo itself were recovered as evidence.
Police are now conducting forensic and technical analysis to establish the sequence of events and individual roles. The next court hearing is scheduled for October 3, when the accused will face charges under the Indian Penal Code and the Juvenile Justice Act.