Mumbai: Mystery surrounds the death of Vikram Atwal (40), who was accused of murdering a trainee air hostess Rupal Ogrey (24) in her flat in Powari on September 3.
Atwal, 40-year-old, allegedly tried to sexually assault Ogrey, but the latter put up a stiff resistance following which he slit her throat and escaped. The police caught him 14 hours later and produced him before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate who remanded him to police custody for three days, which expired on Friday. Even as the police were planning to take his further remand, Atwal allegedly ended his life in the Andheri police station lock-up. The police claimed that Atwal used his trousers to hang himself from a pipe jutting out from the washroom next to his cell.
However, there are few takers for this claim of the police. Questions are being asked how it is possible for someone to hang himself by tying his trousers around his neck and that too in a small cell. Also, the pipe from which he had reportedly hung himself was not that strong to take his weight.
Police did not allow media into the police station
More importantly, lock-ups in all police stations are covered by CCTV cameras and a senior inspector is supposed to keep a watch on the screen. In fact, during police station visits all deputy commissioners are required to visit the cells and ensure that the cameras are in working condition. On Friday, the police did not allow mediapersons entry into the police station, which was made out of bounds for all.
The mystery has deepened further by the fact that even though the alleged murder had taken place in the jurisdiction of the Powar police and the latter had effected the arrest, for some strange reason Atwal was lodged at the cell in Andheri police station.
According to the police, around 6:30 am on Friday, the constables on guard duty checked the cells and they were surprised to find that there was no one in Atwal's cell. When they peeked inside, they saw Vikram's feet. When they checked further, Atwal was found half-naked from the waist, and his pants were used by him to hang himself on the pipe that was attached to the washroom's window grille.
"The upper body, including the head, neck has a certain weight. A small pressure on the neck is enough to kill a person even if he is able to hang from the ceiling," explained an official. In this case, Atwal was found in a sitting pose next to the grille, with his neck tied with the pants on the pipe.
Body sent for postmortem
However, the exact cause of the death would be known only when the post-mortem report is finalised. The body has been sent for postmortem at JJ Hospital.
Police sources further revealed that, a day before the suicide, on Thursday, Atwal was taken to his house located in Tunga Gaon in Chandivali, Powai, to understand the sequence of crime, i.e., what he did after leaving Rupal's residence, up till reaching home. During this, Atwal met with his children, neighbours and the wife - who refused to "look at him". Subsequently, the wife and neighbours gave their statements to the police.
"It may be his guilt after meeting his family members, which could have made him take this extreme step," said a police source speculated.
The matter of the accused's death before court hearing will bring trouble for the cops and the guards whose responsibility was to keep an eye on the accused. "From the guards who were to guard him day and night will be questioned, along with the officers who were given his responsibility. The matter will be taken up by the Crime Branch for further probe," revealed sources.
On Friday, the day the alleged suicide took place, Vikram was to be sent for yet another medical examination to examine his injuries and marks inflicted on his body, allegedly by the deceased victim while they had a scuffle - before her death. This was to rule out the possibility of sexual assault or rape from the matter completely.
The murder
Rupal was murdered at her flat, located in Powai, on Sunday (Sept. 3). Atwal gained entry under the pretext of cleaning work which he did professionally for many years. Two days before the crime, Sept 1, Rupal and Vikram had a spat, where Rupal yelled at him for not doing his work properly. Knowing she was alone, after entering her house, he forced himself on him. He confessed to the police that he had an intent to rape her, but Rupal's strong resistance did not allow that to happen. Rupal's preliminary postmortem report too has ruled out rape or sexual assault. However, when Rupal tried to run towards the main door, he slashed her neck with the knife. Vikram dragged her body to the bathroom, cleaned up the crime spot and ran to his house.
Meanwhile, Rupal’s family members, after the postmortem, took the body back to Chattisgarh for the final rites.
