26 September,2014 06:25 AM IST | | Sagar Rajput
45-yr-old pulled the woman into nearby bushes and tried stripping her; patrolling cops heard woman’s screams, traced the accused and, in pursuit, jumped into the nullah to catch him
A man allegedly tried raping a young woman in broad daylight yesterday, but policemen patrolling nearby, who rushed to the victim's help, foiled his bid. Seeing the approaching policemen, the accused tried fleeing and jumped into a nullah.
Mahadesh Kaundar (45) forced the victim into the bushes and tried raping her in broad daylight
The chasing duo also jumped into the nullah to catch the culprit and all three had to be later fished out by the fire brigade. The case has been registered with Nehru Nagar police station.
The accused has been identified as Mahadesh Piramal Kaundar, a resident of RCF colony in Chembur. The 45-year-old is a housekeeping contractor with the BMC. According to the police, the incident occurred around 6 pm yesterday. "The 23-year-old woman, an MA student of psychology, was returning home after completing her practicals. Kaundar was loitering near Shiv Srushti colony, a remote area," said Suresh Bhavar, senior police inspector from Nehru Nagar police station.
"I was walking home when the accused suddenly walked ahead of me and hid behind a tree. When I reached the spot, he grabbed my throat and pushed me into the roadside bushes. He then overpowered me, got on top of me, and tried to tear my clothes," the complainant told the police in her statement.
Bhavar added, "When the accused was on top of her, the victim started hitting him on his head with her cell phone. Angry, Kaundar started strangulating her. Upon hearing the woman's cries for help, our patrolling beat marshals, Vilas Darekar and Balasaheb Valunch, started looking for the source of the screams."
Upon seeing the approaching cops, the accused let go of the girl and started to flee. The police duo started following. The accused's run took him near a nullah, and in a desperate bid to escape the police, he leapt inside the 7-foot deep stream. The cops refused to give up on the chase and followed suit. Finally, the fire brigade had to be called to fish out all three.
The accused has been booked under sections 354B (assaults or uses criminal force to any woman or abets such act with the intention of disrobing) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code. He has been remanded in police custody.
Police are trying to ascertain if Kaundar is also responsible for two unsolved cases dating back to February 6 and March 6, in 2010, in which both victims had been raped and choked to death. "We will send Kaundar for a DNA test to find out if he is involved in those cases," said an officer from the station on condition of anonymity.
