Man abducted the 20-year-old while she was out buying dinner, forced her to perform oral sex, burnt her using cigarette butts and tried to set her on fire
A late night dinner plan turned awry for a 20-year-old eunuch Nirmala (name changed), who alleged that she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted. The victim said she was pulled into a white van by a group of men who attempted to rape her and burn her alive by pouring kerosene on her. Doctors at the Rajawadi Hospital clarified that there was no sign of rape, but said the victim was forced to perform oral sex.
Prabha Sitara and Salma Khan along with Nirmala’s roommates. Pic/Naveen Nair
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The victim had set out with two of her friends on Wednesday night to pick up dinner from Naaz Hotel, a local restaurant. While her friends waited in the autorickshaw, the victim went inside the restaurant to pick the order. When she stepped out of the restaurant, a group of men in a white van pulled her into the vehicle. Nirmala claimed that these men tried to rape her and also burnt her using cigarette butts, and when the victim protested and tried to escape, they poured kerosene on her and tried to set her ablaze.
Nirmala said one of the accused was her neighbour Mubarak Ali Khan (35) from Nalla Chawl in Amrutnagar in Ghatkopar (West). The victim resides in room number four with 15 other eunuchs with their religious head Prabha Sitara (57). Nirmala said she had been residing at Amrutnagar for the past couple of years and had known Khan for the same period of time. Khan had been living as a tenant in the room adjacent to the victim’s room for the past three years. The eunuchs alleged that he illegally transferred the ownership of the room into his name two years ago, where he resides his wife and six children.
On several occasions the accused and the eunuchs were involved in verbal duels. Salma Khan, a community social worker and a eunuch, said, “The girls left around midnight to collect their dinner, unaware of that they were being followed by one of the accused, who happens to be our neighbour. Mubarak, along with his friends, approached the victim in a white Maruti van near the hotel and pulled her inside. They used cigarette butt on her arms, forced her to have oral sex and poured kerosene on her body in an attempt to burn her alive. It is very disgusting that a married man should do such an act with such a young kinnar.”
Doctorspeak
The doctors who conducted examined Nirmala confirmed that she had been assaulted. “There were three cigarette burn marks on her hands and her clothes smelled of kerosene. The accused forced the victim into oral sex,” a senior medical officer from the Rajawadi hospital said.
Lewd actions
One of the eunuchs, who shared the room with Nirmala, alleged that Ali would click pictures of women passing by or living in the neighbourhood. She said, “He teased people from our community and misbehaved with us.” Prabha Sitara, the religious head of the community of eunuchs in the area, said, “Khan lives in the room adjacent to mine and has illegally taken possession of it from me. On the pretext of buying the room, he paid me via bogus cheques worth Rs 1 lakh. He then occupied the room and built another floor above the room.”
Police action
Officials said that Khan allegedly called Nirmala near the van on the pretext of having an important conversation. Police Inspector Neelkanth Shivali of the VB Nagar police station said, “While the victim was out with her friends to collect food, Khan and his friends kidnapped her. The victim said the accused did this because of an ongoing property dispute between the two. Khan had threatened to kill Prabha Sitara.”
He confirmed that the victim was forced to perform oral sex on the accused and was doused in kerosene so that she could be set ablaze. The victim was taken to Ghangawadi, where she managed to escape from their clutches near Kiran Palace in Ghatkopar. While Khan has been taken into custody, his friends are still at large. All the accused were booked under Sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 377 (unnatural offence) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance) of the IPC.
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