Woman raped, left for dead

According to police, Chandan Jaiswal (20) worked at a Bharat Gas agency in Andheri East and often took his friend, Mohammad Alam Shaikh (35), along on the job. While Jaiswal delivered gas cylinders, Shaikh usually repaired gas pipes.

Both first visited the victim’s home a month ago to replace a used gas cylinder. At 3.30 pm Tuesday, Jaiswal went to the victim’s home at Shaikh’s insistence, the police said.

“When the woman opened the door, Jaiswal told her that the gas pipe needed to be repaired and went into the kitchen. Shaikh stayed in the living room and bolted the door from inside. When the woman screamed, Shaikh clamped his hand on her mouth,” said an officer from MIDC police station.

Shaikh threatened to kill the woman if she resisted and allegedly raped her. Jaiswal, who was reportedly unaware of Shaikh’s intentions, panicked and began to throttle the woman.

“Instead of raising an alarm, Jaiswal helped Shaikh subdue the woman and choked her. Once she passed out, both thought she was dead and fled with her gold earrings,” said the officer.

The officer said the incident came to light only when the woman’s husband returned home and found her unconscious. After she was revived, she narrated the entire ordeal to her husband, who rushed her to the police station. She was later admitted to a hospital and is now out of danger.

“Both men believed she was dead and did not bother to run. They were arrested not far away from the victim’s home four hours later. We have got their custody until February 6,” said Suresh Hujband, senior inspector, MIDC police station.

The police are in the process of recovering the stolen goods. “Both live in Jogeshwari and had been working with the agency for the past six months. We are probing their records with the gas company,” Hujband said.