Paedophile Who Preyed on 700 Children Has ‘No Regret’, Say Police

‘My husband never molested my children’, says the alleged child molester’s wife.

Sunil Rastogi on CCTV. (Photo Courtesy: CCTV screengrab/Altered by The Quint)

He (Sunil Rastogi) has no regret for his act. Rather he takes pride in it and raves that in 80% of the cases he was successful in sexually abusing a child. 

Omvir Singh Bishnoi, DCP, East District Delhi

The crimes of 38-year-old Sunil Rastogi, an alleged paedophile arrested on Sunday, is reminiscent of the Nithari killings accused, Surendra Kohli. Rastogi had claimed to have sexually abused around 700 children since 2004, though police are still investigating his claim. According to the police, he targeted kids in the 7-11 age bracket. As of now, Delhi Police has registered eight cases of sexual assault against Rastogi and are likely to register more in future.

Rastogi lived with his five children – three daughters and two sons – and a wife in Haldwani. The eldest child is 15 years old. His wife claims that he never molested or misbehaved with his own children.

He never molested my kids nor did anyone in my neighbourhood complain about his behaviour. He committed crimes with the kids in Delhi. He rarely stayed at home. He always told me that he is planning to open a shop in Delhi hence need to travel there frequently.  

Sunil Rastogi’s Wife

This is not the first time Rastogi had been arrested. He had, in February 2016, been arrested in Rudrapur in Uttarakhand under the POCSO Act (Protection of Children Against Offence). But he managed to secure bail in just six months. The Uttarakhand police declared him absconding when he didn’t turn up on the next date of hearing in October 2016.

I was aware of this case against him. We had to shift our house to another location. But I didn’t know that he continued to molest children in Delhi.

Sunil Rastogi’s Wife

How Did Police Nab Him?

The police began searching for Rastogi on 13 December after a father filed a complaint about his two daughters being lured by a man. Police made a sketch of the accused based on the description of the complainant and victims. Later, police scanned through CCTV footage from a camera installed in the locality. On the basis of this footage, police succeeded in arresting Rastogi.

We have recorded the statements of all the victims. These kids are undergoing counselling, which will help them in coming out of the trauma. 

Omvir Singh Bishnoi, DCP, East District Delhi

Rastogi Traveled to Delhi Every Week to Abuse Children

As per the police investigation, Rastogi targeted kids living in an unauthorised colony in the New Ashok Nagar area. Since he left Delhi in 2004 – after being fired for stealing clothes from his employer – he traveled 245 kms almost every week in a train from Rudrapur till Ghaziabad to commit these crimes. From Ghaziabad, he either took another train or other public transport to reach Delhi.

According to the police, he targeted children who were alone at home during the day. He would lure them to the roofs of their houses, where he then committed the offences. Since most of the houses in New Ashok Nagar are rented to working professionals, this alleged paedophile managed to get easy access to many of the houses when the parents were at work.

The police have now increased awareness programmes in the schools in the area to educate children on sexual assault. Rastogi’s incident once again raises several questions on women’s safety. If a serial paedophile can be granted bail within six months of his arrest, then perhaps our legal system needs a shake-up.