Mumbai: 346-page chargesheet filed in Sakinaka rape-murder

The tempo in which the woman was raped and brutalised. File pic

The Special squad of the assistant police commissioner of Sakinaka division filed a 346-page charge sheet in the Sakinaka rape and brutal murder of a 32-year-old woman, before Dindoshi sessions court on Tuesday. The accused allegedly committed the crime as the victim did not fulfil a promise made to him. The special squad completed the investigation within 18 days and recorded statements of 77 witnesses.

During interrogation, the accused, Mohan Chauhan, 47, said the woman had allegedly promised something 25 days ago but failed to do it. Chauhan met her on September 9 and when the woman refused to fulfil the promise, he committed the crime in anger. The woman was raped inside a parked tempo at Khairani Road on September 10 around 3 am. The accused, a driver, then inserted an iron rod in the private parts of the woman and fled, stated the charge sheet.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Maheshwar Reddy said, "The police control room received a call at 3.20 am on Friday. Our team reached the spot within five-10 minutes and found the woman inside the parked tempo." The accused was traced and arrested on the same day. The woman died the next day while undergoing treatment. The charge sheet stated, "The main witness includes the watchman of the place where the incident occurred who informed the police control room.

The patrolling team took the woman to Rajawadi Hospital in the same stationary tempo in which the incident occurred... Police also recorded the statement of the doctors who treated the woman and family members of the accused and the victim." It added that Mumbai Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale had said the investigation into the brutal rape and murder would be complete within 30 days.

The special squad team also collected medical circumstantial and forensic evidence as well as physical evidence against Chauhan. Chauhan has been charged with murder, sexual assault, voluntarily causing hurt, intentional insult and common intention under sections 302, 376, 323, 504 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Three days after Chauhan was arrested, the police also added sections of the SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act as the victim belonged to a scheduled caste.

Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP S Chaitanya told mid-day, "While registering the FIR, it was suspected that there were more than one accused due to which we added section 34 of IPC but during investigation, we found out there is only one accused. There is no other accused in the case." The charge sheet also mentions that the police recovered the iron rod used in the crime as well as Chauhan's clothes with bloodstains.