New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS): An 85-year-old woman was allegedly raped and brutally assaulted by an unidentified man in Delhi in the early hours of Friday, a DCW official said.

The accused even punched her face, slit her lips with a blade, and tried to strangle her, the official added.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) said that they have received information of rape with an 85-year-old woman who lives in a slum in Shakurpur area of Delhi.

“She told DCW that she lives alone in her jhuggi after the death of her husband. She has alleged that on September 1, at around 4 a.m, a person forcibly entered her jhuggi and raped her. She also said that the accused punched her face, cut her lip with a blade, and tried to strangulate her. There are injuries all over her face and private parts,” said a DCW official.

The Commission has issued notice to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northwest) seeking a copy of the FIR registered in the matter, details of the accused arrested and steps taken by the Delhi Police to provide security to the woman.

The DCW has also asked police whether a list of elderly people living alone in police jurisdiction has been maintained? “Please inform us of the steps aken to protect them.

Considering the gravity of the matter, please provide the sought information to the Commission latest by September 5,” it said.

“Today, humanity has been torn apart in Delhi! At 4 a.m this morning in Shakarpur, an 85-year-old woman was brutally raped inside her hut. Meeting her and seeing her wounds shook my soul. Whether it's an 8-month-old baby or an 85-year-old woman, they are all victims of barbarity. The demand for the police to issue notices and make arrests has been raised!,” said the DCW chief Swati Maliwal on X (formerly known as Twitter).