Police make slow progress in rape case

MUMBAI: Mystery continues to shroud the rape of a foreign national at Belapur with the police failing to fit the pieces of the puzzle owing to gaps in the woman's statements. Four days after the incident, the police have prepared a sketch of the suspect, but otherwise progress in the case has been tardy.

"Investigations have not made much headway," New Mumbai Police Commissioner Ramrao Wagh said.

The woman, who hails from Latvia and is married to a Finn, told the police in her statement that she was abducted by a man when she was leaving a lounge bar in Belapur on Monday. According to the police, the woman was inebriated when she was found after the incident and did not even mention the rape.

On Thursday, she was taken to Parsik Hill to identify the scene of crime. But she could not pinpoint the location where she lost her shoes and undergarments.

According to her statement, she had left her house at sector 19A on Monday at about 10:15pm. She met a Marathi-speaking man outside her residence whom she invited to accompany her to the bar in an autorickshaw. The man, however, left the bar after a while.

The woman claimed that while waiting for transport to go back home, she was dragged into a car by the driver. But employees at the bar said she opened the door and got in herself.

Based on descriptions provided by the victim, police have prepared a sketch of the suspect. But a source who is part of the investigating team said the description of the accused provided by the bar employees differs.

s_samod@dnaindia.net