Mumbai Crime: How long will Vashi monsters roam free?

The secluded spot where the victim was standing when the drug addicts dragged him into the bushes. Pic/Anamika Gharat

Doctors treating the 32-year-old man who was gang-raped by five drug addicts on Wednesday night are horrified at the brutality of the crime. The police, too, have said it is the worst case of gang-rape that they have come across in recent years. The police said the rapists dragged the man more than 20 metres inside the bushes and took turns raping him on Wednesday evening. The police are yet to find the accused.

When the man protested by kicking them, they overpowered him and pushed a whole coconut with a condom almost 12 centimeters into his rectum.

The man who is father of two was walking home from work near Vihar lake when the incident happened. "It's a miracle that he survived. I have never come across such a brutal case in my life. It was an almost 7.5 to 8 cm coconut that was pushed deep into his body. By the time he reached hospital, there was heavy blood loss. As it was an emergency we operated on him immediately," said a doctor of Koparkhairane Gagangiri Multispeciality Hospital where the victim is currently recuperating.

"We tried to stop the bleeding first but our prime task was to remove the coconut as it would have caused severe infection to him. We took suggestions from several experts before deciding to go ahead with the surgery," a doctor said.

According to the doctors, they had to drill the coconut using a drill machine at slow speed in order to break it inside. It was broken into four parts before retrieving it from his rectum. The doctors also recovered a condom and pieces of cloth that the accused had pushed into his body. The entire surgery went on for three hours.

The rubbish-filled spot that is mostly used by drug addicts where the gang rape happened. Pic/ Anamika Gharat

The surgeon said, "Luckily the patient has survived the trauma. There is only ten per cent recovery so far. He is on medication and is being counselled. A psychiatrist has been interacting with him every two to three hours to monitor his mental state. He needs to be in a proper mental state in order to respond well to the medication."

Victim's statement

In his statement to the police, he said that he works in a Belapur-based private company. He used leave office by 5 or 5.30 pm and while coming back home, used to take a walk by the lake and reach home by 7.30 pm.

On Monday, he told police that, he reached at Sagar Vihar and was smoking when five people who looked inebriated asked him why he was standing there. As soon as he opened his mouth to reply, two of them put their hands over his mouth from behind and dragged him into the bushes. He tried to kick them off but two others held his legs. The rapists then took him a further half-a-kilometre inside through a broken compound wall.

He told the police and doctors that while two of them held him, the other three raped him in turns. He said when they had finished, they inserted a coconut wrapped in a condom into his rectum. He collapsed on the ground and lost consciousness following which the accused fled. After a while when he regained consciousness, he tried to call for help but no one was around. He then somehow walked till the end of the compound, took his bike and went to his family doctor. As soon as he reached the clinic, he fell unconscious.

The Vashi police have registered a case against five drug addicts but are yet to arrest them. The team has got a clue to the identities of two of the accused, the police said. Pankaj Dahane, DCP Zone I, said, "Our team is on track and will arrest the accused soon. The victim was smoking a cigarette when this happened. He said he heard the names of the accused while they were committing the crime. We are investigating accordingly and will soon arrest them."

Sagar Vihar a dangerous area: local residents

Residents said they have stopped going for walks here due to the rise in illegal activities. Residents have complained to CIDCO and NMMC officials several times but no one has taken cognisance. Rohit Malhotra, a resident, said, "After we found used condoms at several places in this area six months back, we sent a letter to NMMC to take action but they said Sagar Vihar comes under CIDCO. We complained to CIDCO, but were ignored as usual."

Sujit Dayal, 16, said, "I always go for clean-up activities at this place. My friends and I have been disturbed since we heard about Monday's incident. We will not go there even in the mornings now."

MLA Prashant Thakur, chairman of CIDCO, said, "I will take details from the officials concerned and will immediately make all necessary arrangements."

When mid-day visited the place, it was full of couples. A watchman sits at the main gate of Sagar Vihar, who closes the gate by 9 pm. However, one can easily enter through an open space near Jageshwar Temple. People park their bikes near the temple and walk into Sagar Vihar. Also, the compound and barricades are broken at a few places allowing easy access to the area.

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Man gang-raped by five in Vashi

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