Woman from Govandi raped, killed in Kurla

The empty building at Kurla West where the body was found. Pic/Sameer Sayed Abedi

Vinoba Bhave (VB) Nagar cops investigating the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman have managed to identify her. The women, a resident of Govandi, had been missing since November 23, and her family had filed a missing persons case at the Deonar police station. The body was found inside a vacant building in the Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited compound on November 25. Joint Commissioner (law and order) Vishwas Nangare Patil told mid-day that the case had been solved and two accused have been held.

According to the police, few youngsters, who were shooting a video at the HDIL compound, encountered a foul smell coming from the lift cabin. They found a woman lying unconscious on a platform, and they informed the Mumbai Police control room, which relayed information to VB Nagar police station.

The police rushed to the spot and took the body to Rajawadi Hospital. A post-mortem was carried out where doctors ascertained that she had been sexually assaulted before her death. After the primary opinion from doctors, the police registered the offence on Saturday. The body had an injury mark on the head and had already started decomposing.

"We have registered an offence against unknown person under IPC section 376 (rape) and 302 (murder). The identity of the women has been established and her family has been traced," said Rajesh Pawar, Senior Inspector, VB Nagar police station. The premises has more than 150 vacant buildings, which were constructed to shift project-affected people (PAP). But many of the buildings are still vacant, making them a hanging ground for goons and drug addicts.