The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to Haryana’s Director General of Police BS Sindhu and Gurugram Police Commissioner Sandeep Khirwar over the alleged gangrape of a 23-year-old woman in Manesar and the murder of her baby on May 29, reported PTI. Pulling up the officials, the NHRC observed on Monday that night patrolling by police officials was not being done.

Sindhu has been asked to inform the NHRC about the steps taken to ensure the safety of citizens in the area, especially women. Both Sindhu and Khirwar have been asked to respond within four weeks.

The NHRC has also asked for suggestions from the police commissioners of Delhi and Faridabad and the senior superintendents of police of Noida and Ghaziabad. It has asked if a joint action programme by law enforcment agencies of the NCR region could set up to deal with such crimes. The officials have been asked to provide a response within six weeks.

Three people were arrested by the Gurugram Police in connection with the alleged rape and murder, ANI reported on Thursday. Two of the accused, Yoginder and Amit, were arrested from Gurugram, while the absconding third accused, Jaikesh, was later picked up from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr.

All three accused had moved from Bulandshahr to Bas Kusla village in Manesar two months ago. One of the accused is believed to have confessed to his crime to the village sarpanch. The sarpanch then informed Assistant Commissioner of Police Dharamvir Singh who arrested the accused.

Khirwar had had admitted to lapses on part of the police in acting on the victim’s complaint. One sub-inspector has been suspended for negligence. “There may have been some laxity or lapse in adding the charges of rape to the case,” he told PTI. “We are taking action against the officials.”

The incident took place on May 29 when the woman had left her house in Khandsa village in Gurugram to go to her parents after a fight with her husband. She had taken an autorickshaw with her daughter that already had three others, including the driver. The accused started molesting her as soon as she got into in the vehicle, the woman said in her complaint. They then allegedly threw the child out of the rickshaw when she started crying.

The three men had left the woman at an isolated spot hours after raping her. Later, the woman took her daughter to a hospital without realising she was dead. The doctors declared the baby brought dead. Khirwar said the Gurugram police would take action against the hospital administration for not informing them when the baby was declared dead.