Goregaon teen dies, angry locals demand justice

Heavy rain did not stop their fury from spilling onto the busy SV Road in Goregaon on Monday morning.

Heavy rain did not stop their fury from spilling onto the busy SV Road in Goregaon on Monday morning.

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Over 200 locals blocked the road to protest the death of a 17-year-old girl who was allegedly molested and strangled by an autorickshaw driver.

“Hand him [the accused] over to us. He should be punished in public view,” said a protester, Surendra Bhise.

A day after Vilas Aamrale (41) was arrested, rape and murder charges were added against him.

Aamrale and the victim had been having an affair since the last year, the police said.

“Rubbish. Media reports about the affair are a pack of lies. The police are responsible for spreading rumours,” said another protester.

“Both lived in the same locality and were acquainted. That’s all,” said another person who was part of the crowd.

On Sunday evening, a drunk Aamrale had allegedly barged into the girl’s Jawahar Nagar home when she was alone. He allegedly clobbered her with a stick and tried to strangle her with a dupatta.

The neighbours, who found the girl unconscious, informed her mother.

The girl was rushed to Siddharth Hospital, Goregaon, and later moved to RN Cooper Hospital, Vile Parle.

She succumbed to her injuries early on Monday.

“The protesters dispersed after we assured them that the law would take its own course and justice would be meted out to the victim’s family,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone XI) Sanjay Banerjee.