Two arrested for rape, murder of 4-yr-old in Powai

The Powai police on Saturday arrested two men in connection with the alleged abduction, rape and murder of a four-year-old girl who had gone missing on Sunday last week and was later found dead in Powai. The victim had gone missing around 10:45 pm on Sunday, and after two days of searching all around her locality and nearby areas, the police found her body some distance away from her residence on Wednesday morning. The body was in a decomposed and bloated condition but was identified on the basis of the jewellery on it.

The accused have been identified as Irfan Khan (25) and Ravi Solanki (28). The police said Khan is a Chembur resident while Solanki stays in the Tunga village in Powai, where the victim used to stay with her parents.

“A CCTV camera between the victim’s residence and the spot where her body was found had captured her being taken away by the duo. We had already initiated investigations in the area, picking up several suspects, including history-sheeters. The two accused, too, were picked up and questioned, after which their involvement in the crime was confirmed,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Vinayak Deshmukh, zone X.

Investigating officials said once the police confirmed that the appearance of the duo matched that of the suspects in the CCTV footage, the accused were questioned till they broke down and confessed to the crime. The accused are both liquor and drug addicts and are known as wastrels in the area. They have allegedly told the police that they were intoxicated on Sunday night and when they saw the victim walking near her house unescorted, they decided to kidnap her on the spur of the moment. They then took her into the bushy area near the MTNL office in Saki Vihar, where they raped her and killed her.

“While the final cause of death has been reserved pending further tests due to the level of decomposition and bloating, preliminary medical tests have confirmed head injures and asphyxiation, as well as sexual abuse,” said Mr Deshmukh.

The police have charged the accused with abduction, rape, murder and unnatural sex under the Indian Penal Code, as well as with sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. They will both be produced in court on Sunday.