4 min readMumbaiJun 15, 2023 04:25 PM IST
First published on: Jun 7, 2023 at 01:42 AM IST
A 30-year-old watchman of a girl’s hostel in South Mumbai allegedly raped and strangulated an 18-year-old girl to death in her hostel room on Monday night before he died by suicide by jumping in front of a running train hours later, police said. They, however, added that they will be able to confirm rape only after postmortem report comes.
The Marine Drive police, who got information about the crime around 4 pm, said that the incident of rape and murder seemed to have taken place between 11.30 pm on Monday and 4 am on Tuesday as the accused identified as Om Prakash Kanojia died by jumping in front of a running train around 4.50 am.
An officer said, “The girl last spoke to her friend in the hostel around 11.30 pm on Monday after which she went to sleep. Since she was nowhere to be seen throughout the day, hostel staff and other girls started looking for her in the afternoon.”
The staffers went to her room on the fourth floor when they found that it was locked from outside. “They then checked the main gate entry diary, in which the girls have to mention the time before entering and exiting the premises. That is when they came to know that the girl had not gone anywhere,” said an investigator.
“The staff then looked in through the window when they saw her naked body lying on the floor,” the investigator said.
Police at the hostel in South Mumbai where the crime took place. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
The staffer then informed the Marine Drive police who called a team of forensic department and finger print experts before breaking the door open. “We came to know that she was strangled to death,” said an officer.
On investigating, police and crime branch officials came to know that the watchman of the hostel was also missing since morning. Other girls who were staying in the hostel revealed that Kanojia would often harass her.
On further probe, the officials learnt that the accused, who hails from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh and stays with his family in Colaba, ended his life near Charni road railway station.
“We started tracing him from the CCTV footage and he could be seen keeping his phone inside his cabinet at the hostel and walking out of the gate. When teams were sent to nearest railway stations, we came to know that he ended his life by jumping in front of a running train near Charni road railway station,” said an officer.
Senior officials of the Government Railway Police (GRP) confirmed that Kanojia ended his life around 4.50 am Tuesday. “As he was not identified in the morning, we had registered a case of accidental death report. Later in the day, when investigators of the rape and murder case came to us, we took them to the mortuary of GT Hospital, where he was identified,” said a senior officer, adding the body was identified by Kanojia’s father.
Kanojia was working at the hostel for the past few years, police said adding the girl who is from Akola had come to Mumbai to study in a college in Bandra.
An officer said, “Primarily we have registered a case of rape and murder. We will be able to confirm whether she was raped only after the postmortem report comes.”
Watchman Om Prakash Kanojia 
Police at the hostel in South Mumbai where the crime took place. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
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