Airhostess Raped in Mumbai by Man Posing as Transgender

MUMBAI: A 25-year-old airhostess was allegedly raped by a man who posed as a transgender and entered her flat on the pretext of using black magic to cure her ailing husband, police said.

The accused, identified as Anil Shinde, 28, was arrested from a slum area in Kalwa early Wednesday, within four hours of the FIR being registered, police said. His movements were traced using footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras along the route from the Powai building to Kalwa.

According to police, Shinde had also collected Rs 200 from the woman before leaving the flat. The alleged assault took place between 12.20pm and 12.50pm on Tuesday.

Police said Shinde, dressed as a transgender, entered the building after gaining the security guard’s confidence and knocked on several doors before the woman opened her flat on the third floor.

“He claimed he could ward off the evil eye and sexually assaulted the woman after entering her flat,” deputy commissioner of police (West Zone-3) Datta Nalawade said.

In her complaint, the woman told police that she allowed Shinde inside because she believed he could help cure her husband, who is undergoing treatment in hospital. She alleged that Shinde sprinkled water on her and placed his hand on her head before sexually assaulting her.

When she raised an alarm, he left the flat after taking Rs 200, which she alleged she handed over while under hypnosis. The woman approached police around 11pm on Tuesday, following which an FIR was registered.

A team led by senior inspector AS Sawant, inspector Sushant Bandgar and sub-inspector Sandeep Patil, under Nalawade’s supervision, began tracking the accused. Police said Shinde is in custody and faces charges including rape and criminal intimidation. Additional provisions relating to black magic are also likely to be invoked, they said.

A police officer said Shinde claimed that his family was involved in begging while posing as transgender persons. Police are also checking whether he has been involved in similar offences in the past.