Aarey rape: 'Child was bleeding, crying non-stop,' recalls constable

He may have the eternal gratitude of the parents for saving the life of the five-year-old girl who was raped in the Aarey colony forest on Sunday, but Constable Prakash Tukaram Warange says he will find some measure of peace only when the accused auto driver is arrested and given the maximum punishment.

Constable Warange says he gave chase to an auto that could have had the rapist in it, but had to give up because of the rain and the bad condition of the road, and because the girl needed medical attention

Speaking exclusively to mid-day yesterday, the constable, who is attached to Crime Branch unit IX, could not hold back his tears when he recounted how he had found the little girl alone in the rain on the Aarey Colony road, bleeding, shivering and crying out for her mother.

mid-day's report yesterday

Recalling the events of Sunday, Warange said, "I was returning from my in-laws' house in Ghatkopar to my house in Goregaon around 11 pm when I saw a very small girl stumbling along the Aarey Colony road, crying non-stop. I was shocked and could not even understand what was happening initially."

Failed chase
When he stopped the girl and asked her what had happened, the girl told Warange, "Rickshaw uncle left me here". Warange said, "The girl was shaken. It was raining that day and she was wet and shivering. I noticed a rickshaw very far ahead and decided to give chase."

Warange's chase, however, proved unsuccessful due to the heavy rain and the poor condition of the road. Also, his priority was to save the little girl, whose condition was deteriorating. "It was completely dark. I made the girl sit on the bike and started chasing the rickshaw, but the driver managed to escape. I could not ride faster as it could have proved fatal for us, given the darkness, the bad condition of the road and the rain.

I stopped a few other autos and tried to identify the accused, but it was of no use. My priority was to ensure that the girl got medical help and, hence, I decided to give up. I called the police control room for help," said the constable. The constable stopped at a restaurant to get the girl some water and something to eat, and the restaurant owner gave her a white cloth to wrap around herself.

‘Horrible condition'
Warange told mid-day that, in his 21 years of service, he had personally never come across a case like this. He said he was shocked to find the crying, shivering little girl stumbling along on the road. Tears rolling down his cheeks, Warange added, "The girl's condition was very bad.

She was inconsolable and was bleeding profusely from her private parts. A team of police officials arrived and took her to Aarey police station and then she was rushed to Cooper Hospital." In the police station, the girl told Warange, "My mother had asked me to get milk. I had bought the milk packet and was heading home when the rickshaw uncle forcefully dragged me inside his auto.

He made me sit next to him initially, but after I started crying and shouting loudly, he forced me to sit in the passenger seat behind." The girl could not not speak after that, and collapsed at the police station. Warange said, "In my 21 years of service, I have never come across such a situation. I just want the accused to be arrested soon and given the maximum punishment."

Parents grateful
At the hospital, the girl's parents met Warange and said, "You came like a god to save our daughter. We are very thankful to you and will never forget you as long as we live." "Warange did the best he could. He did the right thing by not wasting time chasing the rapist.

The girl was saved because he showed presence of mind," said an official from Unit IX of the Crime Branch. Doctors at KEM hospital, where the girl was shifted later, said yesterday that a surgery was performed on her on Monday and, while it will take time for her to recover, she is out of danger.