Police investigate in suburban Borivali, where the child was raped.
Right to life, dignity, or justice means little when one lives on the pavement. And this was brought home yet again to this family in suburban Borivali, who lost their little daughter to a sexual predator two days ago.
The child had been quietly carried away while she was sleeping. The next morning, her body was found a few metres from the footpath they call home.
The family has done the only thing possible. Move away.
"We are very scared. I have lost a child. I have changed the spot where I live so I do not have to lose another child," the girl's mother said.
The authorities admit there's little the justice system does for them.
"When something happens to street children, the response of the state and police is negligible. Poverty should not take away anybody's right to live with safety," said Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar, a member of the National Commission for Women.
The police choose to differ.
"We investigate every case in the same manner whether it involves the rich or the poor. The investigation methods are not different," said Vithhal Damgude, Inspector of Kasturba Marg police station.
As an example, the police cite the arrest they made this morning - a man, who they say, raped a five-year-old pavement dweller in Kandivali.
For society at large, the child's father has just one question: "What would you do if this happened to your child?"