45-year-old Sakinaka rape accused convicted after 8 months

The tempo where the incident took place. File pic

The 45-year-old accused in the Sakinaka rape and murder case has been convicted by Mumbai sessions court on Monday, 8 months after the brutal incident took place. The quantum of punishment will be announced on Wednesday.

The incident, which shook the entire state, took place on September 10 last year on Khairani Road in Sakinaka. Cops had finished the investigation within 18 days and filed a charge sheet in the case while the state had also made clear that crimes against women would be treated seriously and directed that the case be fast-tracked.

Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare and Mahesh Mule examined more than 30 witnesses in the case during the trial.

The maximum punishment likely to be meted out to the convict, Mohan Chauhan, is going to be either death or life imprisonment. Chauhan was also charged with the atrocities act as he knew the woman belonged to Scheduled Caste.

According to the police, the woman, 32, met the accused around 3 am on the day of the incident and a verbal argument ensued as she refused his advances. The accused, Chauhan, then assaulted and raped her inside a parked tempo. He then inserted a sharp object into her private parts and fled from the spot. The woman was taken to a hospital where she died while undergoing treatment on September 11.

Taking serious note of the case, the then police commissioner Hemant Nagrale formed a Special Investigation Team. The case was investigated by ACP Jyotsna Rasam, Inspector Dattratray Dhume, Assistant Inspector Mahesh Sangle.

ACP Rasam said, "It was very brutal, I had never seen anything like this before as an officer. The mother and the witness in the case were not able to explain as they were shivering. This case should be considered as the rare of the rarest and the accused should be given harsh punishment."