Security guard rapes and kills a girl in Mumbai hostel, later dies by suicide

New Delhi, June 8

A security guard at a girl’s hostel in South Mumbai allegedly raped and strangulated an 18-year-old girl to death in her hostel room and jumped in front of running local train and died by suicide. 

The police were alerted on June 7 evening that an incident of rape and murder seemed to have taken place on intervening night of June 5-6. The police were also informed that the suspect, Om Prakash Kanojia died by jumping in front of a running train in wee hours of June 7.

The girl was a native of Akola and had moved to Mumbai to study at a college in Bandra. Kanojia hailed from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh and stayed with his family in Colaba,

The police stated that the girl last spoke to her friend in the hostel around 11.30 pm on Monday after which she went to sleep. Since she was nowhere to be seen throughout the day, hostel staff and other girls started looking for her in the afternoon. The staffers went to her room on the fourth floor when they found that it was locked from outside. 

They then checked the main gate entry diary, in which the girls have to mention the time before entering and exiting the premises and found that she never exited the premises. The staff then looked in through the window when they saw her naked body lying on the floor, police added. 

The hostel staffer then informed the Marine Drive police who called a team of forensic department and finger print experts before breaking the door open. The girl was allegedly raped and strangled to death. The police then learnt that the security guard was also missing since morning. Other girls who were staying in the hostel revealed that Kanojia would often harass her.

The police began tracing him from the CCTV footage and he could be seen keeping his phone inside his cabinet at the hostel and walking out of the gate. The policeseacrhed in nearby areas and found out that he ended his life near Charni road railway station.

The Government Railway Police found his body around 4.50 am on June 7. The GRP had filed a case of accidental death and sent his body to mortuary. His father was called for identification and confirmed his identity. 

The police are waiting for the post mortem details to ascertain rape while they ahve booked the accused for murder.