Mumbai: We forgave once, now we want them to hang till death, says family of Andheri schoolgirl

(Clockwise from left) Bhavna Rathod with her daughter Vanshika; and the two accused, Santosh Makwana and Vishal Anbhawa

The mother of a 14-year-old girl who was brutally killed by two youths has asked for capital punishment for the accused. The deceased, Vanshika Rathod, was missing since August 25 after she left for school and her body was found with multiple knife injuries, from a jungle at Waliv in Naigaon the next day.

Police have booked two accused - Santosh Makwana and Vishal Anbhawa, residents of Khar and Juhu, respectively - after CCTV footage from train stations showed the duo carrying the bag containing the body from Andheri to Naigaon in a local train. Both the accused are absconding.

Bhavna Rathod with her daughter Vanshika

The incident took place on August 25 when Rathod, a resident of Andheri East, left for her school around 11.50 am. Her mother Bhavna told mid-day, "When leaving for school she told me that she wanted to buy a watch and we were supposed to do that after she returned. However, she didn't come home till late. We searched for her in the area and then approached Andheri police to file a missing complaint."

The next day her body was found inside a bag in a jungle at Naigaon. Senior Inspector Kailas Barve from Waliv police station said, "We found around 14-15 knife injury marks on Vanshika's body. We also checked CCTV cameras from the station area and found two youths carrying the bag in which the body was found. Later, Vanshika's family identified the accused. We suspect that the accused are hiding in Gujarat."

Waliv police officers at the place where Vanshika's body was found

Cops said that one of the accused, Makwana, was earlier nabbed by the victim's mother, Bhavna, and brought to the police station for allegedly stalking the minor for days. However, he was let go after warning. Bhavna said, "Makwana used to stalk my daughter. I even caught him once. When I took him to the police station, he apologised to me. He said his career would be ruined if a case was filed, so I decided to forgive him. But now that I know that this same person killed my daughter, I demand that they be given capital punishment for the heinous crime."

Speaking with mid-day, noted criminal lawyer Senior Advocate Abha Singh said, "In our country, stalking is not taken seriously by the police or citizens. After the Nirbhaya incident in Delhi, a new law was made to deal with stalking and police started registering cases. However, till this date, many school and college students drop out due to stalking. And if the case reaches the police station, in most cases the boy's parents tell the police that the accused is just a kid and made a mistake which he would repeat again. But the police do not keep track if the boy is doing it again or not. I think the police should keep a record of these complaints as stalking is the first stage of harassment. Both cops and citizens should not take this lightly."

The spot where the bag was found. Pics/Hanif Patel

"In this case also, the police did not track the accused's activity after the girl's mother dragged him to the police station, and a compromise was made. Stalking should not be taken casually. If an accused is caught for stalking for the first time, it is a bailable offence, but if caught again then it's a non-bailable offence," she said. DCP Dr D S Swami (Zone VIII) said, "I will ask Vile Parle police to look into the matter."