Supriya Sule, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, has demanded the Maharashtra government to initiate a comprehensive investigation into the rape and murder of an 18-year-old girl in Marine Lines. Expressing her concern, she emphasized that such incidents highlight the lack of safety for women in the state, which reflects poorly on its image.
Taking to Twitter, Sule expressed her dismay, stating, “A young woman's body was found in a women's hostel at Marine Drive in Mumbai. She was raped and murdered. This is a very serious and unfortunate incident. Such incidents are constantly underlining that women are not safe in Maharashtra.”
Continuing her statement, Sule extended her sincere condolences to the victim and emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “It is necessary for the state government to conduct a thorough investigation in this matter. It is certainly a matter of concern for Maharashtra that a criminal goes to the extent of going to a girls' hostel and murdering her.”
An 18-year-old girl was raped and murdered at the Savitribai Phule Women's hostel, a state government-run facility located near the Police Gymkhana on Marine Drive. The incident came to light on Tuesday evening. The girl was a student in Mumbai college and held a part-time job; she resided on fourth floor of the hostel.
During the investigation, it came to light that the hostel’s security guard, who was a suspect in the case, was found dead on the railway tracks near Charni Road station on Tuesday morning, the official said.
Based on a complaint by the student’s cousin and circumstantial evidence, an FIR was registered against the security guard under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 376 (rape), the official said. A probe was on into the case, he said, adding the post-mortem report was awaited.