Hyderabad MMTS Rape Attempt Case: Lack of cameras slows RPF's assault probe
Teams of Railway Protection Force (RPF) are finding it difficult to identify the accused, who assaulted a woman on a MMTS train, due to lack of CCTV cameras at 13 stations on the 27-km stretch from Lalaguda to Medchal.
Hyderabad:Teams of Railway Protection Force (RPF) are finding it difficult to identify the accused, who assaulted a woman on a MMTS train, due to lack of CCTV cameras at 13 stations on the 27-km stretch from Lalaguda to Medchal. The assault forced the 20-year-old woman to jump off a running MMTS train.
While the Secunderabad station is equipped with 93 CCTV cameras, the stations between Lalaguda and Medchal have a few cameras, mostly at the booking counters. Sources said, even those cameras are defunct.
So far over 20 pictures of habitual offenders have been shown to the victim till now. Though she initially identified the picture of a snatcher, she retracted her statement when he was physically presented before her, said a senior police officer.
According to the victim's statement to the police, the accused was aged about 25 years and was wearing a dark blue full sleeves shirt and blue shorts and spoke Telugu.
According to the victim, the accused had reportedly told her, "Naku nuvvu kavali, naa room kuda Medchal lo vundi, nuvvu vastava? (I want you. I live in Medchal. Will you come with me?)."
She tried to brush him off but he held her waist from the back, and started assaulting her. She managed to escape from his clutches and jumped off the train.
The investigation team on Tuesday called up the victim's brother to record his statement, police sources disclosed. Apart from trying to identify the accused, the RPF teams are also exploring the victim's background and her previous enmity.
The railway police teams are exploring whether the culprit was a known person to the victim or had stalked and collected her whereabouts native place and hostel location. :We are probing in all possibilities and angles. We have rounded up over 50 habitual offenders for questioning," one of the investigation officers disclosed.
The railway police suspect that the accused might have boarded the train from the isolated stations along the route. The victim boarded an old MMTS ladies coach from platform number 10 at Secunderabad railway station on March 22 around 5.30 pm but the suspect did not board the train from Secunderabad with the victim, police confirmed after going through the CCTV footage.
After the victim boarded the MMTS at Secunderabad, most of her co-passengers got down at Alwal railway station as it was a residential area and two got down at Bolaram, police said.
Every coach has 139 railway emergency numbers but the victim didn't have time to call. If she did, RPF teams in uniform and mufti specially would have immediately acted as we have been strictly instructed to monitor the ladies coach, an RPF officer disclosed.
The victim's condition is stable. She suffered injuries on her jaw, forehead and a fracture on her left hand and is undergoing treatment in a private hospital, police said.
According to a medical bulletin released by the hospital, the victim was stable and would be undergoing surgeries for facial injuries (mandibular fracture and plastic surgery. She is also undergoing treatment for a fracture in right hand fingers, said Dr Murali Mohan Reddy, senior plastic surgeon and Dr Praveen kumar, senior orthopedic surgeon.
"We have taken the case on priority basis. We are investigating the case. Our 15 special teams along with IT teams and separate RPF are making efforts to identify and arrest the accused, said Chandana Deepti, SP, GRP Secunderabad.