The Borivli Government Railway Police constable got protection after complaining against a male colleague in October; both she and her husband are missing since Wednesday
The Borivli Government Railway Police (GRP) is shaken with the kidnapping of one of their own — a constable — even though she had been provided protection by the department after she complained she was receiving threats from a former colleague who had allegedly molested her in the past. Adding to the embarrassment, a senior cop even received a text message challenging him to catch the kidnapper.
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While the constable (right) and her husband (left) went missing late on January 6, their disappearance came to light only after her senior got a text message about it
While the constable and her husband went missing late on January 6, their disappearance only came to light after her senior got a text message about it. The same night, around 11.40 pm, Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Patil from the Borivli GRP received this text message — ‘I am kidnapping the victim and her husband on the order of constable Pravin Sonawane.’ The sender also unabashedly challenged the police to try and arrest the kidnapper. The message was sent from the constable’s husband’s phone, who is also missing.
Patil then sent some staff to the constable’s house to verify whether she had indeed gone missing. They found the door locked and after making a few enquiries, learnt that the couple was not in the neighbourhood.
“I got the message late at night, around 11.40 pm. The constable had left the police station around 6.15 pm that day. After proper verification, I directly went to Dahisar police station and registered a complaint,” said Patil.
Based on his complaint and the message, the Dahisar police registered an FIR against unidentified persons for abduction. DCP (Zone XII) M Ramkumar said, “As per the SMS received, Pravin Sonawane is the prime suspect in the case, but we are investigating all angles.”
Plot thickens
The constable Pravin Sonawane mentioned in the message is also the reason the victim was given police protection in the first place. During the investigation, the Dahisar police learnt that Sonawane was also a constable with the Borivli GRP, but was transferred to Ghatkopar after the victim filed a molestation case against him in October.
The victim further alleged that she was receiving death threats from Sonawane and requested police protection. Following this, another female constable was assigned to accompany her on her journeys between home and work every day. Despite his name in the SMS, and his history with the victim, Sonawane was not taken into custody. He is on duty at the Ghatkopar headquarters.
The Dahisar police checked CCTV footage and spotted the victim, her husband and the constable assigned to guard her as they were alighting from a bus around 6.45 pm on January 6. This bus stop is barely 25 metres from the victim’s house, so the constable just waited for another bus, while the victim and her husband walked in the direction of their home. That was the last time the couple was seen.
“Like every day, the constable accompanied the victim until her bus stop. After that, it is uncertain what happened,” said a police officer from Dahisar police station.
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