As instances of rape of minor girls have increased in the Mankhurd and Shivaji Nagar areas, the police point to the lack of CCTV cameras in the region as a reason behind their inability to find evidence and thus solve the cases. Three rape cases of minor girls have been registered in the area in the last one month and the police is yet to crack even one of them.
On Monday, the body of a four-year-old girl was found at a construction site near the victim’s residence in Mankhurd. The body wore several injuries from which the police suspected that the minor was raped and then murdered. She had been missing since Sunday night and the police was on a lookout for her. The post-mortem report also stated that the girl had been raped and then strangled.
Commenting on the investigation in the case, senior police inspector from the Mankhurd police station said on condition of anonymity, “We are looking into the case but it is difficult for us to find the culprit as there were no CCTV cameras in the area. So it’s taking us time to narrow down on the possible suspects in the case.”
The same reason was given by the police in regard to another similar incident that occurred a week ago, when the Shivaji Nagar police detained a 30-year-old man for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl from Dharavi. It took the police a week to nab the suspect as the area in Shivaji Nagar was not under CCTV surveillance.
Speaking about the case, a police official said, “We had made a sketch of the suspect after taking the victim’s statement. We then used it to ask people in the area in order to identify them. But we finally got a lead when we surveyed the CCTV footages of the area surrounding the site where the minor was raped.” The official added that had that area also been under surveillance, it would have helped them to crack the case faster.
The girl who was raped two weeks ago is currently being treated at Sion Hospital. Her parents are dissatisfied with the slow pace with which the police has been investigating the case. The victim’s father said, “It has been two weeks and I visit the police station daily to enquire about the progress in the case but the policemen keep telling me that they are trying to solve it and that since there is no CCTV footage of the area, it’s difficult for them to look for the accused.”
