Guard takes lift, rapes student on terrace, flees 90 minutes later in Ahmedabad

New Delhi: A harrowing incident in Ahmedabad has raised severe concerns over private security vetting after a 23-year-old interior design student was brutally assaulted and raped on the terrace of her paying guest (PG) accommodation. The accused, identified as Dharam Singh, was arrested shortly after the attack and later shot in the leg by police when he tried to escape custody.

According to police records, Singh was captured on CCTV taking the lift to the fifth floor and heading up to the terrace. The victim, who has lived in the city for two years and is originally from Kutch, was walking on the terrace while speaking on her phone. When her phone battery died 20 minutes later, she prepared to return to her room.

At that moment, Singh approached her and demanded sexual favours. When she refused, he violently attacked her, tying a wire around her neck to choke her and prevent her from screaming. The assault lasted for nearly an hour. Before fleeing the scene at around 8:52 pm, Singh stole her phone and locked the terrace door. The victim was eventually rescued after raising an alarm, prompting neighbours to unlock the door and call for help.

Shootout during arrest

Following a search operation involving ten police and crime branch teams, Singh was tracked down and arrested near the Hebatpur area on Sunday morning. However, during the recovery procedure, Singh attempted to flee.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Shivam Varma told reporters, “During the process of this recovery panchnama, the accused, in an attempt to escape police custody, tried to snatch the service revolver of Inspector RS Parmar. A fight ensued, and Constable Virendrasinh was hurt in the process. An officer fired two rounds at the leg of the accused, one of which hit him. The condition of the accused and the injured constable is stable.”

While lying on a hospital bed, Singh pleaded for forgiveness, saying, “Ek baar maaf kar do sir. Zindagi main kabhi me aisa kaam nahi karunga.”

Police confirmed that a separate case will be registered against Singh for trying to seize the officer’s firearm and escape. He has been booked on charges of rape under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigators also confirmed that legal action will be taken against A1 security agency for deploying Singh just four days ago without mandatory background verification or police registration protocols.