Mumbai: Sexually assaulted girl, 15, raped after escaping from hospital

The accused took her to a lodge, police said. Representation pic

Cops have arrested a taxi driver and are looking for another, with whom he allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl. She had been admitted to Nair hospital for suicide risk evaluation after she threatened to kill herself if not allowed to leave the shelter home she had been staying at after being sexually assaulted previously. The duo raped her after she escaped the hospital.

According to sources in the M R A Marg police station in south Mumbai, the girl had been sexually assaulted earlier. Thereafter, the Child Welfare Committee in Dongri sent her to a shelter home in Matunga in July, they added.

Lately, she had been insisting on leaving the shelter home and had even threatened to die by suicide if she was not allowed to. The shelter home officials admitted her to Nair hospital for suicide risk evaluation on October 17.

A few days later, she escaped from the hospital and went to the CSMT, where two taxi drivers approached her and offered to help her find a job, police said. They took her to a lodge on October 22 and raped her, they added.

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In the meanwhile, the shelter home officials informed the local police about her disappearance. However, on October 23, she returned to the shelter home and told the officials about the gang rape. They immediately alerted the police, who arrested Abhimanyu Saroj, 28, on Monday night.

Rajesh Pawar, senior inspector, M R A Marg police station, told mid-day, "One accused has been arrested and we are in the process of nabbing the other accused, who has fled to his native place." He did not give any more details.

Initially, the Agripada police filed a case of rape, gang rape and kidnapping along with the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, as Nair hospital, from where the girl escaped, falls under their jurisdiction.

Later, they transferred the case to the M R A Marg police station, as the two men allegedly took her to a lodge from
near CSMT.

The survivor identified the two men as Sonu and Rajendra. The police identified and nabbed Abhimanyu after examining CCTV camera footage at the CSMT, said cops.

Police said they will produce Abhimanyu in court on Wednesday.

Oct 22
Day the teenager was allegedly gang raped