Small clue on CCTV nails Dharavi woman’s ‘rapists’

MUMBAI: Police on Sunday arrested two brothers, one of them a teenager, who allegedly barged into a newly married woman’s Dharavi home in the wee hours last week and gangraped her at knifepoint. The duo had also filmed the act with the intention to blackmail her in the future.
Before fleeing from the survivor’s house, one of the accused had waved his hand at a stationary shopkeeper in the vicinity. It was this small clue caught on a CCTV camera that helped police nail the accused.
The accused, Anil Jugdev Chauhan (19) and Nilesh Jugged Chauhan (20), have been arrested on charges of gangrape, outraging the modesty of woman, threatening, and under the Information Technology Act.
In her complaint to the police, the survivor, who had recently moved to Dharavi after her marriage three months ago, alleged that on May 11, when she was sleeping in her house and her father-in-law had left for a morning walk leaving the door ajar, two unknown persons barged into the house, tied her up and gangraped her. They also filmed the act using their mobile phone.
The survivor told police that before her father-in-law returned, the two accused, who appeared to be in their 20s, had fled. Once the complaint was lodged, deputy commissioner of police (zone 5) Pranay Ashok formed a team led by senior inspector Balvant Patil to nab the accused.
“With no clues, we scanned around 102 CCTV cameras in the vicinity. Our officer got a small clue when he spotted one of the accused waving his hands at a stationary shopkeeper. On enquiring, the shopkeeper told police that the person in the footage was one Anil Chauhan who supplies printer colour toners to his shop,” said an officer.
Police later picked up Anil, who initially denied having done anything wrong. However, when police confronted him with evidence of his mobile location and call detail reports that confirmed his presence in the area at the time of the crime, Anil broke down and confessed to the gangrape. He also told police that his accomplice was his brother Nilesh.
Police said the brothers lived in the same area until a few years ago, and had recently moved to Vile Parle along with their family. Anil, however, frequently visited Dharavi to supply printer toners. He said he was infatuated with the complainant and conspired to sexually assault her with his brother. They decided to film the act so they could later blackmail and force her into having sex with them.
Police said the accused were not only familiar with the area, but also knew the woman’s family. They knew that the woman’s mother-in-law had gone to her native place and she would be alone when her husband and father-in-law step out, said DCP Ashok.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)