Women-related crimes are on the rise in Maharashtra as a teenager was raped in Thane last week. Shockingly, two police stations refused to register the rape survivor’s complaint when she desperately ran to them for help.
The incident comes into the limelight a day after a woman was raped in Mumbai’s Sakinada. The horrific and brutal execution of the crime had led the 34-year-old to death.
Friday’s case of the rape of a 15-year-old took place in Ulhasnagar railway station in the accommodation area.
The girl was returning to Ulhasnagar from Shirdi when the incident occurred. She got down at Bhiwandi bypass, reached Kalyan and boarded a train to Ulhasnagar, Railway Police Commissioner Qaisar Khalid said. She reached the city at around 9 pm where the teenager was joined by 2 friends. The trio was heading home, walking on the skywalk at the railway station when the accused suddenly approached them, he told reporters.
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The accused had a hammer with him, which he used to scare the friends away. He then kidnapped the girl, took her to a deserted area in the railway accommodation department that was around 50 metres from the skywalk.
He allegedly assaulted and raped the teenager and kept her confined the entire night. She managed to escape from him in the morning and called her friend from a passer-by’s phone. The friend advised her to inform the cops by reaching the closest police station.
However, when the girl did reach one, the police there refused to register her complaint saying that the incident did not take place in their jurisdiction. A similar instance occurred in another station, the Railway Police Commissioner said. The lack of necessary action from the police stations will be investigated, he added.
Mr Khalid said the case has been registered under the concerned IPC sections including the Protection Of Children From Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). The accused has been arrested.
A medical examination was conducted for the rape survivor and she is getting counselled, he said, adding that the probe is on with the forensic team at the crime site to examine details.
The accused is a known criminal with several cases filed against him, including theft, in Thane, Mr Khalid said, after doing a background check on him.
“We are looking into how to avoid such incidents again, especially in railway areas that have poor lighting and are deserted,” he said.
