Mumbai:
The 23-year-old software engineer whose body was found on Thursday in a swamp off the Eastern Express Highway in Bhandup could have been raped and murdered, say police sources, although cops are waiting for a forensic report to confirm it.
When asked if the young woman was raped, Additional Commissioner of Police (East Zone) Qaiser Khalid told NDTV, "At this stage on the basis of the post mortem report we cannot rule it out nor can we categorically say it. The body was in a decomposed condition and that is why we need to conduct more tests to say conclusively whether there was rape or not."
The police are questioning auto rickshaw drivers at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Kurla. The police suspect the victim could have taken an auto rickshaw from the station. Robbery as a motive has been ruled out.
According to the woman's family, she boarded the Vishakhapatnam Express from Vijayawada at 7.30 am on January 4 to return to Mumbai to resume work after a month-long Christmas break. At around 9 pm, she spoke to her father and informed him that she had reached Solapur, around 400 kms from Mumbai, her family claimed, adding it was the last they heard from her.
Cops probing her disappearance said calls made from her mobile phone were last traced to Bhandup, where the burnt body was discovered. The techie's family, based on those inputs, arrived in Mumbai and began looking for her in that area. A foul smell emanating from the swamp, during their search, led them to the body.
The family of the victim is upset with the way the case has been handled. Arun Kumar, the victim's uncle told NDTV, "The Railway Police were busy deciding in whose jurisdiction the case fell and where the FIR should be registered. We told them the victim had crossed Solapur but they insisted we file the FIR at Vijayawada, where she boarded the train. Precious time was lost in this."
Sources have told NDTV that several CCTV cameras at the station in Kurla were non-functional. This meant no images of the young woman at the station were captured which could have given the police some clues.
The family in now hoping that the police will be more efficient and prompt in their response and further investigation so that they can hope for justice.