Titwala rape and murder: Woman describes attacker, cops prepare sketch

The THANE Rural police investigating the case of a 30-year-old woman who was raped after her boyfriend was murdered by an unidentified man late Monday night at Titwala have prepared a sketch of the suspect based on the woman’s statement. The woman told the police that the man appeared to be in his 30s and was wearing a cream shirt and brown trousers. In her statement to police, the woman said this was the first time she had come to the particular spot near Nalimbi village on the Ambernath-Chinchpada Road where the incident took place.

The police are, however, puzzled that the accused, who allegedly shot the woman’s boyfriend for refusing to hand over his bike, did not flee with the bike. “Our suspicion is that the accused is a history-sheeter as not only did he have a gun but also switched off the (woman’s) mobile instantly as he was aware that we would track him,” an officer linked to the case said. “What has surprised us is that while the accused fought with the deceased because of the bike, he eventually did not take the bike with him. The spot where the incident took place is an isolated stretch and there are no CCTV cameras there. We are questioning the villagers and hoping the sketch will help in identifying the accused,” the officer said.

Superintendent of Police Thane (Rural) Mahesh Patil said, “We have prepared a sketch of the accused based on the woman’s statement.” In her statement, the 30-year-old, who works as a beautician, said she had been in a relationship with murdered man for the past seven years. The man worked for his brother who owns a Chinese stall at Ambernath. He would often take his brother’s Bullet and go on long rides with her, she added. On Monday night, he picked her up from Ambernath station around 8.30 pm following which they went to Nalimbi village on the Ambernath-Chinchpada road.

“As we reached (the spot), he (the boyfriend) felt the air in the tyre was less. We then headed back to a petrol pump and got air filled. We later returned to the same spot. As we reached, he went down to relieve himself. As he came up, the accused also came from the forested area around the road near Nalimbi village,” the woman said in her statement. She added that the accused, who was wearing a cream shirt and brown pants and appeared to be in his 30s came to the spot. He told the man to hand over the bike’s keys to him. The two got into a physical fight. The accused then pulled out his revolver and fired at the man, killing him, the woman said in her statement. She added that she was scared. The accused then threatened her and raped her.

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