Heinous acts of crime have baffled not just the citizens, but the judicial system as well. Some of them so brutal that they put humanity to shame. And, some filled with so many plot twists that one might think it’s a Bollywood movie becoming a reality. It’s a depressing fact, but there’s no dearth of real-life crimes.
From assault to murder to rape, tragic crime cases are jolting Mumbai at regular intervals. And, with the upsurge of media, criminal cases are getting highly sensationalised and hogging prime time on various news channels.
This year has been a mixed bag for crime fighters. According to a report published by the NGO Praja Foundation, the city saw a 13 percent rise in rape cases in the financial year 2019-20 as compared to the previous year's corresponding figures.
The Kurar police booked a 55-year-old man for stabbing his 57-year-old girlfriend several times with a chopper on November 15 and later trying to commit suicide by blasting a ‘sutli’ bomb inside his mouth. According to police, the man was seriously injured as the firecracker burst in his mouth. While the woman was out of danger. Reportedly, he had been simmering in anger for the past few months because he felt slighted.
A 55-year-old builder was stabbed to death by an unidentified person outside his bungalow in Mumbai's Juhu area. The victim, Abdul Munaf Sheikh, was the founder and chairman of Al-Sofi Group.
The incident took place on August 17 when Abdul Munaf Sheikh returned home after offering prayers in the mosque. The assailant slit his throat and stabbed him multiple times. Sheikh then tried to rush towards the gate of his house and collapsed. Some locals informed the police who reached the spot and took the victim to the hospital where he was declared dead. Sheikh, whose company constructed several buildings in Mumbai and was also involved in projects of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA).
A petty argument over unclean tissue papers used at a dhaba in Mulund led to the death of a 29-year-old man on November 9. Three persons, including two waiters at the dhaba, have been arrested. The deceased was identified as Navnath Pawne.
The incident took place on November 9 when Pawne, an auto-rickshaw driver from Mulund, went to Baba ka Dhaba near Mulund Toll Naka. According to the police, an argument broke out when he shouted at a waiter for not keeping tissue papers properly. The argument escalated further when two other waiters joined.
According to the police, the situation went out of control and the waiters started hitting Pawne. One waiter threw a tile at Pawne, which left him seriously injured. He was rushed to KEM Hospital; however, he could not survive and died on August 12.
A case has been registered against a 21-year-old man for allegedly repeatedly raping his minor neighbour in Kalyan town of Maharashtra's Thane district on November 27.
According to the police, the accused, a vegetable vendor, allegedly wooed the 15-year-old victim and raped her repeatedly on several occasions, as a result of which the girl became pregnant. The victim delivered a baby a couple of days ago, and on getting a report from the hospital, a case was registered at Kolsewadi police station.
The Bhoiwada police arrested a 40-year-old man for allegedly raping his 17-year-old relative for over two months. According to the police, the girl came to the city during the lockdown, however, when she returned to her hometown recently, it was revealed that she was sexually assaulted. When her parents took her in confidence, she revealed that it was her uncle who had allegedly sexually exploited her. Her uncle was arrested hours after the offence was registered.
