Mumbai:
The Mumbai police are investigating a new lead in the alleged rape of an MNC employee during a conference at a resort in Aamby Valley on December 10 with fresh evidence pointing to a security guard having committed the crime.
The initial probe had pointed the needle of suspicion to staffers of the event management company which had organised the conference and several staffers had been called in for questioning.
A Colaba resident posted in Delhi was raped at knife point at a resort in Aamby Valley.
Around 270 people, including 30 women, had gone to the Valley to participate in the pan-India conference of a food conglomerate
The victim's description of the assaulter, however, has led the police to conclude that a security guard was responsible.
"We have reached the conclusion that a security guard raped the executive," said an officer from the Pune rural police. He said they have zeroed in on the accused and he will be arrested soon.
"The assaulter was speaking in Hindi and was wearing a security guard's uniform. We have identified the accused based on the victim's description.
The resort's CCTV footage was not very helpful and we have drawn up a sketch based on what the victim could remember. His arrest is imminent," added the officer.
The conference began at 7.30 pm on December 9 and was followed by an entertainment show. Dinner and some games went on till 4 am.
According to the victim's statement, she went to her room at midnight.
She was alone in the room as an employee from Kolkata had failed to turn up. She had kept the lights on and had forgotten to lock the room from the inside.
According to her, between 2.30 and 3 am, a man entered her room and switched off the light.
He held her at knife point, raped her and also forced her to engage in oral and unnatural sex. He raped her twice before fleeing.
When the victim narrated the incident to her friends and family in Mumbai, they asked her to lodge a police complaint. An FIR (No 168/ 2010) was registered at Paud police station on December 13.
"We have registered an FIR under sections 376 and 506 (2) of the IPC rape and criminal intimidation against unknown persons. Blood and cloth samples of security guards and employees of the resort have been sent for forensic examination," said Inspector NS Nihalde, Paud police station.
Repeated attempts to get a comment from Aamby Valley officials proved futile. After contacting several officials, we contacted the CEO's secretary and were asked to get in touch with PRO Ghulam Zeeshan.
He asked us to e-mail questions but did not reply to it.