Mumbai: Rapist guard tried molesting another hostelite four days ago

The security guard who allegedly raped and killed a 19yearold student at her Marine Drive hostel on Tuesday had attempted to molest another woman four days ago said sources Accused Omprakash Kanojiya who died by suicide was not even hired officially they said ldquoIf the administration doesnrsquot allow us to meet our children then how did they give such people access to the girlsrsquo hostelrdquo the victimrsquos father askedAccording to the police Kanojiya 35 jumped before a running train after committing the alleged crime He killed himself within 15 minutes of leaving the hostel in the wee hours of Tuesday they added Police said he was the laundry man at the hostel but was given the task of security guard unofficiallyCorridor of the govtrun hostel where the womanrsquos room was located right Omprakash Kanojiya the alleged killerThe probe so far has revealed that Kanojiya had entered the womanrsquos room while she was asleep and forced himself on her When she retaliated he strangled her with her clothes and left Police said Kanojiya unlocked the womanrsquos door through the ventilation flap at the top of all doors at the hostelThe woman was a secondyear student of Government Polytechnic Bandra and stayed at Savitridevi Phule Mahila Chhatralaya a property of the Higher and Technical Education She had completed her exams on June 5 and was scheduled to travel to her hometown Akola on June 8The Savitribai Phule Womenrsquos Hostel in Marine DriveStopped answering callsOn Tuesday morning the deceased womanrsquos mother called her many times but she didnrsquot answer ldquoMy husband then made calls to Kanojiya but he wasnrsquot answering either So we called her friend and told her to check on our daughter She found the door locked from the outside but there was no sign of her leaving the hostelrdquo the mother told midday Her father asked his sister who lives in Kalyan to go check on herMeanwhile as the parents continued to make calls on the womanrsquos phone the friend heard it ringing inside the room She peeped through the ventilation flap and saw her naked body on the floor She informed the warden who called the police The fire brigade came broke the lock and opened the door The girl was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead on arrivalThe deceased womanrsquos room Police said Kanojiya unlocked the door through the ventilation flap on the topKanojiyarsquos involvementDuring the investigation the police were told that Kanojiya who did laundry at the hostel and was the night security guard had also been missing since morning He was seen leaving the hostel at 444 am On CCTV cameras he was seen walking towards Charni Road railway station A body had been found on tracks between Grant Road and Charni Road railway stations which turned out to be of Kanojiya The police found in his pocket the keys to the womanrsquos roomStrangled to deathThe postmortem report of the woman stated that there were multiple abrasions on her body Forensic experts opined that the death had occurred due to strangulation They are yet to confirm sexual assault No suicide note has been foundThe womanrsquos distraught relativesFather had met KanojiyaThe womanrsquos father said he became acquainted with Kanojiya during his trip to the hostel to meet his daughter once in two to three months He said ldquoHe used to tell me not to worry as he would take care of my daughter I have one question for the hostel administrationmdashif they donrsquot allow parents to meet their children then how can they give such people access to the entire hostelrdquoAlone on floorThe 225room hostel which can accommodate 450 women was declared dilapidated a couple of years ago police saidOf the 3540 students staying there most had gone home as the exams were over The woman was among the three students who lived on the fourthfloor But on Monday night she was alone after the other two left for their hometown on Sunday A friend living in the city had asked her to stay over at her place but the woman insisted on returning to the hostel saying her belongings were still there and that she was leaving for home soonKanojiya harassed othersA couple of girls in their statement to the police alleged that the administrators had given Kanojiya full authority over the hostel at night He would roam on the floors freely making unwarranted comments Last week he had sexually harassed another woman and she told about it to her friend but not to her parents or wardenHostel Superintendent Rekha Andhare said ldquoWe never received any complaint from any girl regarding harassment by the accusedrdquoldquoThe investigation is in the initial stage we have secured the hostel room and taken fingerprint samples to find out whether there is involvement of any third person Also the call details record needs to be checked between the victim and the accused to find the nature of their relationshiprdquo said Dr Praveen Mundhe deputy commissioner of police zone 1