Mumbai murder case: ‘Cleaner had knife, slashed the air hostess when she resisted his sex assault bid’ | Mumbai News

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MUMBAI: Powai police, who have arrested an Andheri (E) building’s garbage collection staffer for allegedly killing a flight attendant by slashing her neck with a knife in her 3rd floor flat on Sunday, are waiting for the provisional postmortem certificate to take a call on invoking IPC Section 354 for outraging the modesty of a woman against the accused, Vikram Athwal (35). “The preliminary postmortem report has ruled out sexual assault. Athwal’s DNA samples will be collected. The victim’s viscera and swab have been preserved,” a police officer said.

Around 11.30am on Sunday, Athwal reportedly knocked on the door of the woman’s flat to collect garbage. “Athwal, who was carrying a knife, followed her inside on the pretext of a suspected water leak from the flush tank, and asked her to check it. As she entered the bathroom, he charged in and tried to sexually assault her. When she resisted him, he stabbed her. He then cleaned the bloodstains on the floor and washed it off from his uniform before wearing it again and leaving the flat. Later, Athwal changed into another set of clothes in the building premises before leaving the society at 2pm, although his normal sign-off time is 4pm,” an officer said.
“Athwal has confessed that his intention was to frighten the woman and assault her. However, as she fought him, he ended up stabbing her twice in the neck,” an officer said. Shockingly, none of the residents of the other five flats on the floor heard any commotion or the victim’s screams while she was being attacked, the police officer added.

Andheri victim’s kin take her body to hometown for last rites
The garbage collection staffer, accused of killing a flight attendant in one of the bathrooms of her Andheri (East) flat on Sunday, reportedly told the police that after committing the crime, he washed his blood-stained uniform in another bathroom and cleaned the floor to wipe off his footprints after he accidently stepped on the victim’s blood.
Meanwhile, police said charges under the Arms Act and additional Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections for house trespass will be added against the accused, Vikram Athwal, who was arrested on Monday under IPC section 302 for murder. Athwal was arrested within 12 hours of the discovery of the crime late on Sunday following questioning of around 45 housekeeping staffers along with technical assistance.

Police also found fresh nail scratch injuries on Athwal’s hands. He is suspected to have sustained the injuries while the victim tried to fight him off as he attempted to sexually assault her.
Athwal consulted a local doctor for the injuries on his hands and told his wife they had been caused by glass shards, but she did not believe him, said a police officer, adding her statement was recorded on Tuesday.
Athwal was produced before Andheri metropolitan magistrate court on Tuesday, which remanded him to police custody till September 8.

DCP (Zone X) Datta Nalawade said currently the accused is booked under the IPC section for murder. Meanwhile, the case is being investigated by inspector Prakash Kawale who, along with senior inspector Supriya Patil, was part of the eight-member team that nabbed Athwal when he reported to work at the Andheri building on Monday.
The victim’s family has taken her body to her hometown to perform the final rites. She had moved into the rented flat three months ago along with her cousin and a friend.
The body of the flight attendant was found in a pool of blood by a friend of her cousin who visited the flat around 10pm on Sunday and called a keymaker when there was no response to the doorbell. “Using a duplicate key, the friend and keymaker entered the flat and found the victim in the bathroom,” a police officer said. The statement of the friend who opened the door with the help of the keymaker was recorded on Tuesday.

Watch Flight attendant murdered in Mumbai flat: Cleaner arrested