17 April,2014 07:41 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
Horrific rape incident unravelled wherein the minors were raped in the wee hours for three days in Kanjurmarg; commuter spots one survivor, takes her to the railway cops after learning of her ordeal
A train commuter's curiosity led to the unraveling of a most horrific rape incident wherein two sisters aged five and seven were brutally raped for three consecutive mornings by two boys in Kanjurmarg.
The accused, aged 19 and 21, were arrested after the 7-year-old identified them
The matter came to light yesterday when Bhandup resident Kshama Bhatkar (46) who was on her way to work saw a young girl shivering and writhing in discomfort on a bench at platform number two of Bhandup railway station at about 10.30 am. Her curiosity got the better of her and Bhatkar went up to the girl to enquire about her condition.
Kshama Bhatkar was on her way to work when she spotted the survivor
After the seven-year-old girl confided in Bhatkar and narrated the shocking sequence of events, a trembling Bhatkar quickly accompanied the girl to the Government Railway Police (GRP) office at Kurla and filed a rape complaint.
The family has been staying at Bhandup station as their home had Their Bhandup house had been demolished for a road-widening project three to four months ago. Pics/Prashant Waydande
The girl and her younger sister had gone through hell, as the two accused, who are aged 19 and 21 and work at a mall in Bhandup, sexually assaulted them for three consecutive days at an under-construction building in Kanjurmarg.
The under-construction building in Kanjurmarg where the minors were dragged and raped for three consecutive mornings
Missed train
The girl and her sister, along with their parents, were to board an outstation train for their native place in Ratnagiri from Thane station on Sunday night, but they could not board the general compartment of the train, as it was overcrowded.
The family was returning to Ratnagiri again as they could not find accommodation in the city. Their Bhandup house had been demolished for a road-widening project three to four months ago, after which they spent some time in Konkan and returned to the city a few weeks ago in the hope of finding a place to stay.
They decided to proceed to Bhandup station and spend the night there, as it is less crowded at night than Thane railway station. Tragedy, however, struck in the wee hours of the next morning, as the accused who were lurking around the station spotted the girls sleeping a little away from their parents and approached the girls.
The duo lured the girls to the under-construction six-floor building site, where work has come to a standstill since a few months, and raped them. The seven-year-old girl, in her statement to the GRP, said that the boys had woken them up at 4 am, dragged them to the building site, raped them and then brought them back to the station. She added that they did this for three mornings Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Nabbed within hours
After the complaint was lodged, two plainclothes railway police accompanied the girl to hunt for the accused. "The police men searched for the boys in the surrounding areas and within two hours, they were tracked and arrested. They were taken to Kurla GRP where the minor identified them as the culprits," said Bhatkar.
Shivaji Dhumal, senior police inspector, GRP, Kurla, said, "We have registered the case and the girls have been sent for a medical test." The duo has been booked under sections 376, 363, and 34 of the IPC.
