Three held for ‘raping’ minor; hunt on for one

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“The victim walked all the way to Powai from Sakinaka, and on the way met two of the accused, Umesh Kavde (19) and Dinesh Yadav (20). They took her to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) from Kurla by train, promising to arrange for her journey to Jammu, and then lied to her saying tickets were unavailable. They convinced her to spend the night with them and go the next day. Although reluctant, the victim went with them to a belt polishing unit in Dharavi where two of them worked and stayed. They made her drink alcohol, took her to the terrace of the structure and forced themselves on her. They then called the other two accused, Salman Mehboob Khan (20) and Rajkumar Rushi Singh (20), who raped her too,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Mahesh Patil, Zone V.

The police said after the sexual assault, Kavde was taking her to a hotel for dinner when one Zameer Khan (34), a dealer of belt buckles who was passing by, saw the victim crying. “I sensed that something was wrong and went over to check on them. The accused and I got into a fight and he ran away. I gave the victim lime juice to drink and took her back home,” said Khan.

On Monday, the victim approached the Sakinaka police station and narrated the incident after which a complaint of abduction and rape was registered under the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The case was subsequently transferred to the Kurla police station.

A medical examination of the girl confirmed sexual assault, said the police. In her statement, the victim told the police that one of the accused, later identified as Singh, was speech impaired, while another was addressed as Salman, which led the police to the accused.

“We went to the belt polishing unit posing as buyers and asked the owner about Singh, by praising his work. Coincidentally, the owner called out to Salman and asked him to call Singh. As soon as Salman left the owner’s office to call Singh, we followed him and took him into our custody and brought him to the police station. His questioning led us to Yadav and Singh, and we are trying to trace Kavde,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Shrirang Nadgauda, Kurla division.

The three were produced in court Thursday and remanded in police custody.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com