Bystanders intervene after they notice woman trying to flee from accused, and record video in which she clearly mentions that she was raped; police say they are unaware of any such video
Lured by the promise of employment, a 32-year old housewife from Varanasi was raped by two men in Mumbai. However, the police have only registered a case of molestation. A video shows the woman stating clearly that she was raped by two men. Cops, however, said they were unaware of the existence of such a video.
Sanam (name changed) lived with her daughter and husband in Varanasi. A few months ago, her eight-year-old daughter succumbed to a disease. Unable to bear the grief, she poured kerosene over herself and set herself on fire. Neighbours intervened in the nick of time and rushed her to the hospital.
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Sanam’s life was saved, but she had received severe burns to the lower part of the body. Her husband abandoned her at the hospital. Homeless and without work, Sanam was forced to become a squatter in the Varanasi station premises, where she begged and did odd jobs to eke out an existence.
A week ago, a man, identified as Sajid Ali Majid Ali, met Sanam at the station. Ali is a contractor for public toilets at Bandra Terminus. He promised Sanam employment in Mumbai, baiting the beleaguered woman with the prospect of a better life.
After this, Sanam was brought to the terminus, where Ali allegedly raped her on two successive days. She was later sent to Mohammad Sadiq Manzue Hussain Sheikh (36), another public toilet contractor. He too raped Sanam. On Friday evening, Sheikh and Ali were forcibly taking Sanam away from the terminus. Locals noticed the scuffle and intervened.
Sheikh tried to convince them that she was his wife, but Sanam shouted for help and raised the alarm. Ali managed to escape, but a local apprehended Sheikh and thrashed him. Meanwhile, others had called the Nirmal Nagar police. Locals got together and recorded a video of Sanam speaking about her ordeal, in the presence of the police.
The police, however, only registered a molestation case against Sheikh and Ali, even though Sanam had clearly mentioned in the video that she had been raped by the duo. Senior Police Inspector Sudhir Jambhavdekar of Nirmal Nagar police station confirmed the incident, but denied that it was a rape case. He said, “We have registered a case of molestation and the hunt is on for the accused.
There is no rape in the case.” When this correspondent asked him about the video in which she claims to have been raped, he replied, “Bring the video to me and I will take necessary action. I don’t know anything about such a video.
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