No let-up in crime against women in Mumbai

A naked body of a woman, with a boulder tied to the waist, was found near the Naigaon bridge on Sunday afternoon. A resident of Vasai, who came to know about the body floating in the creek waters, informed the police.

The police said they have not ruled out the possibility of the woman being sexually assaulted before being drowned.  

So far, the police have not been able to establish the woman’s identity; the only clue they have is a religious tatoo on her body.     

Pravin Vartak, the resident who alerted the police, said the partly visible body was floating in the creek. “A foul smell that was emanating gave the impression that the body was decomposing,” said Vartak. “Initially, we thought it was a local and we enquired around, but there was nobody reported missing from from the vicinity.” 

An official from Vasai police station said that the woman’s body could have been dumped about five days ago. 

Assistant police inspector Anil Thorve said that the possibility of rape and murder could not be ruled out. “While we’re awaiting the autopsy report, we’re also going through missing person complaints to see if any of the missing persons meets the description of this woman,” said Thorve.

A case of murder and destruction of evidence has been registered against an unidentified person. “If the autopsy report confirms sexual assault, we will add the the charges of sexual assault to the case,” said Thorve.