Mumbai: Search on for SUV used by cops who raped model

The Mumbai crime branch investigating the rape of a 29-year-old model in Saki Naka are yet to find the private SUV that the six accused – three of whom were policemen – used on the night they allegedly committed the crime.

The Mumbai crime branch investigating the rape of a 29-year-old model in Saki Naka are yet to find the private SUV that the six accused – three of whom were policemen – used on the night they allegedly committed the crime.

Police officers said the CCTV camera, installed at the hotel outside which the accused accosted the woman, was not working.

“Since the camera was not working in the hotel, there is no clarity on the SUV’s registration number. We have, meanwhile, recorded the statements of all the policemen who were on night duty in the Saki Naka police station, when the model was brought there,” said Atulchandra Kulkarni, joint commissioner of police (crime).

While the three policemen– assistant inspectors Sunil Khapte, 35, Suresh Suryavanshi, 41, and constable Yogesh Ponde– 36 – are in police custody and their statements have been recorded, the police are yet to find the owner of the SUV.

Officers said the man who booked the hotel room had the surname Sikandar and that unit 10 of the crime branch is trying to track him down. He is one of the suspects in the case and officers want to record his statement.

Police sources have revealed that even though the accused policemen claimed they had planned to conduct a raid under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act, no formal diary entry was made at the police station, before the accused left. Investigators said this proved it wasn’t a raid but a premeditated attempt to extort money.

The officers added they will also record the statements of MLA Naseem Khan’s son, who received a phone call from the survivor’s friend. When the accused policemen demanded money from him, he made several calls to arrange for the cash, one of whom was Khan’s son. The friend had reportedly worked with Khan as a media manager.