Powai teen suicides: Area is notorious for sodomy cases

Mumbai: In the case of suicide following alleged sodomisation of two boys, aged 10 and 13, respectively, the Powai police has said that the area where the incident occurred is notorious for being infested with youth who prey on soft targets such as kids to satisfy their physical needs and later threaten them into keeping their mouths shut.

The police is awaiting the post-mortem report of the 10-year-old’s body which was exhumed on Tuesday. Officials investigating the case have revealed that in the course of questioning close to 100 persons after the 13-year-old succumbed early morning Tuesday, it emerged that there are many bachelors living in the area and cases of sodomy are reported from there nearly every month.

Navinchandra Reddy, DCP zone 10, told The Asian Age, “The alleged sodomy was habitual to the 13-year-old as there were no marks of struggle found on his body. We are probing the case and among the ones questioned, there are kids, shopkeepers and youth who are often seen loitering in the vicinity. Until now, the police has not found any CCTV units installed in the area, which is making detection of the crime all the more difficult.”

The 13-year-old boy, allegedly sodomised by three men on July 6 at Powai, Andheri east, consumed rat poison on July 12 and died early Tuesday. He had been admitted to the civic-run KEM hospital.

The boy’s 10-year-old friend, also allegedly sodomised by the men, consumed rat poison on July 12 as well and died the same day.