Mumbai: Serial child rapist who has abused over dozen girls, on loose

The cops are yet to identify the suspect from CCTV images

In nearly two years, this paedophile has raped or molested 15 girls across Navi Mumbai, Thane and Nalasopara, and the police are yet to get their act together. In Navi Mumbai, where the maximum cases have been registered since 2016, the police have not even bothered to collect DNA samples in most of the cases.

When asked about this, the Commissioner of Police proposed a far-fetched plan: To retrieve the survivors' clothes after all these months or years, and try to procure DNA samples from them if they haven't been washed yet.

As per the records, the first case against him was registered in October 2016, when he raped a 10-year-old girl in Vashi. Several similar cases kept stacking up, but it was only in June this year that the police caught hold of CCTV images and realised the same pervert was preying on the kids.

In the last 10 days alone, he is suspected of having raped two more children in Nalasopara. Despite the CCTV images, the police are yet to identify the man. Speaking about a rape case from July 2017, a Kharghar police officer said, "We do not have any evidence apart from victim's statement." Pradip Tidar, senior inspector of Kharghar police station, said, "I was not there when the incident was registered, so I do not know about the evidence collected."

Poor evidence collection
In another case registered in August 2017 at the Vashi APMC police station, the police have only the medical certificate. Senior Inspector Sanjay Nikam said, "The case is old, and at the time her clothes were not collected." In two other cases registered last year at Koparkhairne and CBD police stations, there is no evidence. Koparkhairne police SPI, Shivaji Awate said, "I do not know what kind of evidence we have, and why the investigating cops did not collect the basic evidence."

CP says
Navi Mumbai Commissioner of Police, Sanjay Kumar, said, "I do not know what kind of evidence the officers had collected earlier, but I have asked them to start collecting DNA by taking the clothes of the victims. If they haven't been washed yet, we can still use them. After taking these DNA samples, we will also try to match it with suspects." Dr Rajesh Dhere, associate professor of forensic medicine at LTMG and KEM hospitals, said, "In rape cases, collecting DNA is very crucial for evidence. Samples can comprise semen, which the police can get from the crime scene or the victim's clothes. There can also be other samples from the crime scene."

15
No. of girls he has raped or abused since 2016

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Nalasopara police begin awareness campaign to nab serial child rapist

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