Mumbai: The police have recovered the murder weapon, a long knife, used to slit the throat of the trainee air hostess in Powai last week. The 24-year-old victim, Rupal Ogrey, was killed on September 1 by the residential building cleaner, Vikram Atval, when she fought back a sexual assault by him. The police said Atval hid the knife behind a tree outside the building.
Accused escorted to crime spot to recreate incident
The police said they began interrogating Atval after a city court granted them his custody. A resident of Tunga village in Chandivali in Powai, he was escorted to the crime spot to recreate the incident, where he directed them to the weapon. The police said it will be listed as evidence in the chargesheet and used during trial against the accused.
Ogrey, a native of Chhattisgarh, came to Mumbai in April to train as an air hostess with a leading airline. Two days prior to the crime, she had a spat with Atval as she was dissatisfied with his work. When produced in court on Tuesday, Atval confessed that he went to Ogrey’s house on Monday morning with the intent to rape but ended up slitting her throat when she put up a stiff fight. He then dragged her body to the bathroom and fled. He was traced 14 hours after the crime.
Atval’s body too bore several injuries and nail marks, proving that Ogrey tried her best to resist. The police said he will undergo medical examination of injuries as part of the probe. A murder case has been registered against him and a supplementary FIR will be registered if any additional developments take place.
