The Shil-Daighar police in Thane have arrested three men for allegedly raping and murdering a 30-year-old woman in temple. The woman had left her home after an argument with her husband and taken refuge in the temple. Police believe that the woman may have visited the temple in the past but was alone on the fateful day.
The three accused, including the temple priest, mixed marijuana in her tea to exploit their weakness. When the woman was intoxicated and unable to resist, the three men allegedly raped her. In the morning, when the effects of the drugs wore off, they questioned her about the sexual assault, which she said she knew about but was unable to defend herself. To prevent the woman from approaching the police, the men strangled her and dumped her body near a temple in a hilly area.
According to police, the woman has been identified as a resident of Belapur. Police investigation revealed that the woman had an argument with her husband, which led to a fresh altercation between the couple. “On July 6, she had left home after an argument and did not return.” Her husband enquired with her in-laws in Koparkhairan but she did not go there. Hence, her parents filed a missing person’s report at NRI police station in Navi Mumbai,” a police official said.
Subhash Basu, deputy commissioner of police, zone 1, said, “On July 9, a person informed the police that a woman’s body was found in a hilly area near the temple. Our team from Shil-Daighar police reached the spot and found the woman’s body. After investigation, we learnt her identity and found that she had left her home and came to the temple after an argument with her husband.”
A case was registered at Shil-Daighar police station and investigation has been launched with the formation of various teams. “After examining the CCTV footage, it was found that the woman had left her house and was having breakfast at a hotel in Mahape. Later, she was seen entering the Gole Ganpati Mandir temple near Shir Gaon. CCTV footage from the temple steps showed her entering the temple. However, she was not seen returning from the temple,” a police official said. This has led to the people at the temple coming under police suspicion, the official said. During the course of investigation, police found that the temple’s original priest was on a trip to Uttar Pradesh. During his absence, he had appointed the priest and two other sevaks to look after the temple. “The accused saw the woman alone and decided to take advantage of her. First, they served her tea with bhang and raped her. When she regained consciousness in the morning, she raised an alarm about the sexual assault and tried to escape,” the police said. The accused then caught hold of her and assaulted her. They strangled her, smashed her head against a stone and threw her body off a hill,” a police official said.
Basu said all three accused have been arrested and produced in court. “They will be in police custody till July 16. Our team is collecting further evidence and conducting investigations to build a complete case,” Basu added. According to police, the arrested suspects have been identified as Shyamsundar Sharma (62) from Rajasthan, Santosh Kumar Mishra (45) and Rajkumar Pandey (52) from Uttar Pradesh.
Basu urged the public to stay in touch with their families in case of differences. “Instead of going to far-flung places alone, you can confide in your elder relatives. If you need any help, you can always contact the police,” he said.
