Injured Surat girl was under pressure to study, wanted to end life, says DCP

Police registered an offence under various Indian Penal Code sections.

AN 18-YEAR-OLD girl who was found bleeding with multiple injuries and broken pelvis near a four-storey apartment in Umra area of Surat Wednesday night, has told police that she was not raped and that she attempted suicide as she was under pressure to pursue studies against her wishes.

Before she allegedly jumped off the building’s terrace in an attempt to kill herself, she sent a text message to her parents, implying she was dead, police said. Deputy commissioner of police, Zone 3, Vidhi Chaudhari, told The Indian Express on Friday that her statement was recorded before an executive magistrate on Thursday night when she regained complete consciousness. “The girl said that she was not raped and nobody tried to killed her. She wanted to end her life and jumped from the terrace of Gokul Dham Apartment. Her family members were putting pressure on her to study but she wanted to do business of selling cosmetic products of a multi-level marketing firm. She wanted to earn money and enjoy life freely, which she was unable to do it at her parents’ home,” Chaudhari said, citing her statement.

On Thursday, her father who had earlier reported her missing, lodged a complaint of rape with Umra police station. Police registered an offence under Indian Penal Code sections (attempt to murder) 307, 376 (A) (Punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim), 376 (1) (Punishment for committing rape), 376 (2) (m) (While committing rape causes grievous bodily harm or endangers life of a woman.), and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), against an unknown person.

As per the FIR lodged by her father, “My daughter was raped by some unknown person, and later she was taken to the terrace of Gokul Dham apartment at Umra and pushed from the terrace of the building with an intention to kill her. The accused had also damaged her mobile phone.”

The girl’s father said in his statement to police that she left the house on Wednesday around 11.30 am, to go to college to submit the form for fee waiver and purchase books, but did not return till evening and her mobile phone was switched off.DCP Chaudhari added, “In the provisional medical certificate given by the doctors, they have mentioned multiple fractures on her pelvic bone and active vaginal bleeding. On the bases of the provisional medical certificate, we registered offence of rape and attempt to murder in this case.”

According to Chaudhari, the girl, in her statement to the police, said that after leaving home with Rs 7,000 to purchase books and telling her mother that she would return after five to six hours, “She went to a garment shop in Parvat Patia area and purchased new fashionable clothes for Rs 5,000 and later went to a beauty parlour for make-up. She then hired an auto rickshaw and went to Dumas beach, alone. She wanted to commit suicide at Dumas but as there was no water she thought of another destination. She then hired a cab and went to Ubhrat beach in Navsari, but the beach was closed due to Covid.”

“She returned to Surat at Parle point area and paid fare amount of Rs 1,200 to the cab driver. She later bought Krazy lines, meant to kill cockroaches, form a medical store and consumed it but threw up. Later while roaming around in Umra, she found there was no security guard at Gokul Dham Apartment and climbed the stairs and to the terrace. She sent message to her parents from her phone saying, ‘Love you Mummy, Love you Pappa, Sangita (name changed) is no more’ and later she jumped from the terrace,” Chaudhari added.

Chief medical officer of New Civil Hospital, Dr Sumit Jagnani, told this paper, “When the girl was brought to us after primary examination, there was active bleeding from her vagina and anus. We referred her to gynaec department for further treatment.”

Umra police on Friday checked the CCTV camera footage and call records on her mobile phone. Inspector KB Zala said, “Our teams checked the CCTV footage near her house and at Dumas beach where she was found all alone… We also found the footage of her standing near a medical store from where she claimed to have purchased Krazy lines. We have also found her mobile phone locations at Parvat Patia area, Parle Point area, Dumas, and Umra areas… she had talked to some friends, and switched off her phone at 3 pm and switched it on again at 8.30 pm to send the message to her parents.”

Zala added, “We will file B summary in this the rape and attempt to murder complaint, as the details mentioned in the police complaint has not turned out to be true. We will register offence of attempt to commit suicide against the accused (girl). Her condition is now stable. We have prepared list of questions for the doctors who told us that the bleeding might be due to pelvic bone injuries. We will get the answers in writing from them.”

According to the doctors treating her, the girl is out of danger. Her parents could not be contacted.

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