Mumbai: Attack on woman sparks fear in Andheri

[ 8 Sep, 2006 0317hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

MUMBAI: In yet another attack on a woman, a 23-year-old was assaulted by an unidentified person who attempted to rob her while she was climbing the staircase of a building in Andheri's Manish Nagar area on Thursday.

The incident follows an attack on a 21-year-old MBA student who was targeted in a similar manner in the colony last month.

While police claim both incidents were attempts at robbery, residents are edgy and have demanded more patrolling.

According to witnesses, Thursday's incident took place in building number 44. The victim, Nishtha Patel, a physician at a charitable clinic in JVPD, was returning home in the afternoon. Nishtha lives with her parents on the fourth floor of the building.

"Around 12.30 pm, after Nishtha had climbed two floors, an unidentified man appeared in front of her and tugged at her handbag. When she resisted, he picked up a cement pole and hit her on the head," said inspector Pradeep Suryavanshi. However, Nishtha put up a tough fight.

After unsuccessfully trying to steal her handbag, the man fled, clambering over the society's compound wall to escape. Nishtha was rushed to Sujay hospital where she was given medical treatment and discharged.

Nishtha described the assailant to the police and said he was about five feet in height and in his twenties. Police suspect he was loitering on the building terrace and keeping a watch. Officials have started preparing a sketch of the offender.

Locals voiced concern over the attacks. "The problem is an under-construction transit camp that has sprung up at the edge of our colony," said gemology student Rovina D'souza.

"The labourers are hired on a temporary basis and keep a watch on movements of residents. There are very few watchmen in the area and trespassers walk in and leave whenever they want."

Rovina's friend, MBA student Vailani Varella, sustained 16 stitches to her head after an unidentified assailant had struck her repeatedly with a hammer on August 21. Varella was in building 48, which is only a block away from where Thursday's incident took place.

The police had acted swiftly and arrested a 19-year-old welder from the nearby construction site but residents remain dissatisfied.

"We believe there are 3-4 men involved in these attacks and they work in groups. The real culprit is still at large," said resident Jitendra Jain. He added that a month ago an 80-year-old woman was robbed in Block B, but the case remains unsolved.

Another resident Mangala Patil said local college students usually return to their homes in the afternoon and in the wake of these attacks, the police need to take stringent measures.