The team, which is investigating the sexual assault and murder of an 18-year-old girl at the Charni Road hostel, has learnt that the accused, Om Prakash Kanojiya, 33, who killed himself after the crime, had been trying to cosy up to the girl for the past few days. This information was gleaned from the mother of the deceased girl and the latter’s friend. The victim had confided in her mother as well as her female friend who also lived in the hostel; however, she had failed to complain to the warden.
In her statement to the police, the friend of the deceased said that the accused had tried to befriend the victim four or five days ago. He would go to the fourth floor of the hostel, where the girl resided, in order to talk to her.
Victim was ready to head back home on Wednesday
A police officer said that most of the hostel rooms were currently empty as several students had gone home after their exams ended. The victim was also ready to go home as she was done with her exams on Monday and had booked a ticket to Akola for Wednesday morning. She was the only person on the floor when the incident occurred. Earlier, the warden had asked her to come and stay in a first-floor room, but she had said that her exams would be over in two days and would be going home soon.
Girls being moved to Telang Memorial Hostel, Churchgate. | Pushpita Chatterjee/FPJ
Accused served as 'watchman', errand boy for girls
The accused had been residing at the hostel since 2005. Interestingly, he was not an employee of the hostel but had been given a room in the back. He served as the ‘watchman’ and laundryman for the girls at the hostel and had contact numbers of most of them. The girls would also call Kanojiya to run errands for them. There are three watchmen in the hostel and all are employed in conformity with government rules, but Kanojiya’s presence was unauthorised and he was not paid any salary. He earned his living by washing and ironing the hostel inmates’ clothes.
Police received a call from the hostel around 5pm on Tuesday and were informed that a girl’s room was locked from outside and from the window, her unconscious form was visible.
Her friend had called her in the morning, but she had not answered and neither was she reachable in the afternoon. The friend had then gone to her room to check and found the door locked from outside. On enquiring with the front desk, she learnt that the victim had not come out the entire day. That was when she looked through the window of the room and found her bare body in the room.
BJP leader Chitra Wagh visited the hostel where the gruesome crime took place | Vijay Gohil/FPJ
Accused fled hostel on Tuesday morning
The accused had fled the hostel on Tuesday morning. His father, Ramdulal Kanojiya, 55, had called him several times that day to talk but his son did not pick up the phone. Kanojiya had reportedly left his mobile in the security guard’s room after committing the murder.
After the suspect’s death by suicide, the Churchgate GRP sent his body to G T Hospital. The GRP police found two keys in his pocket, one of which was for the room of the deceased. After killing the girl, Kanojiya had locked her room from outside.
Police suspect crime was committed between 11pm & 4.40 am
The police have recorded the statements of seven or eight people in the case. The deceased girl had talked to a girl staying in the hostel on Monday night, at 10.30pm. The incident occurred between 11pm and 4.40am, the police suspect. Footage from the CCTV installed at the gate of the hotel has shown the accused, Kanojiya, going out at 4.44am and at 4.58am, he is seen going to sleep on the railway tracks at Charni Road railway station and a local train is seen passing over him.
Girl's father urges action against hostal authorities
The girl’s father, who has come from Akola, has refused to claim her body and has raised the issue that since his daughter was staying in a government hostel, the hostel was responsible for her security and action should be taken against the hostel authorities too.
There are 25 to 30 rooms on each floor of the hostel and CCTV cameras are installed on every floor but most of the cameras are now switched off.
Marine Drive cops have registered murder & rape case
The Marine Drive police have registered a case under sections 302 (murder) and 376 (rape and sexual assault) of the Indian Penal Code. There were injury marks on her face and neck. Though the final post-mortem report was awaited, preliminary reports suggested that she had been sexually assaulted and then strangled to death by the accused. Zone 1 DCP Pravin Mundhe said that the post-mortem of the deceased girl had been carried out at J J Hospital.
Political Parties express regret, want justice for victim
Various political parties reached Marine Drive Police Station to protest the murder. The All India Panther Party’s Mumbai president, Sushma Shinde, asked why there were male watchmen in the women’s hostel and who had allowed the watchmen to go upstairs. She demanded action against the hostel warden.
The leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, Ajit Pawar, also came to Marine Drive Police Station and expressed regret over the murder. He said that in the case of those wanting to set up a security agency, the government always checked for valid documents, trained security guards, and appropriate weapons, while a government wing provides security to hostels. Technically, for three shifts, 12 security guards needed to be deployed and police were currently investigating the matter. Who was the person who took a salary from the government but had shirked their duty, he asked. In July, we will raise the issue of security at all the girls’ hostels in Maharashtra in the assembly, he assured.
