Accused in air hostess’ murder found dead in police custody in Mumbai
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Mumbai: The 40-year-old accused housekeeping staffer, Vikram Atval, who had been in police custody for the alleged murder of a 24-year-old air hostess, was found dead by apparent suicide in the early hours of Friday morning.
The incident unfolded at the Andheri police station's lock-up, where Atval had been held. According to police reports, guards conducting their rounds found him hanging from the ceiling using his own pants.
Vikram Atval's suicide came on the heels of his three-day stint in police custody, which had been ordered by a local Andheri court for medical examination and interrogation. During his initial days in custody, Atval cooperated with authorities, leading them to the crime scene in Powai, where he re-enacted the sequence of events that had transpired.
It was during this search that a long straight knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was recovered and would be presented as crucial evidence in the upcoming court trials.
The court also ordered a medical examination of Atval to investigate any injuries or scratch marks on his body, aiming to rule out the possibility of sexual assault or rape in the case. Preliminary medical examinations of the victim, Rupal Ogrey, had not indicated signs of sexual assault, but the complete post-mortem report from Rajawadi Hospital was still pending release at the time of this report.
The incident occurred on Sunday when Atval gained access to Rupal's Powai flat under the pretext of housekeeping duties. When it became apparent that Rupal was alone, Atval allegedly attempted to force himself upon her while brandishing a knife in a menacing manner
Rupal's resistance thwarted his initial intentions, resulting in injuries and bruises for both. In a tragic struggle, Rupal tried to escape to seek help, but Atval slashed her neck with the knife.
In an attempt to conceal the crime, Atval dragged Rupal's lifeless body to the bathroom and cleaned the scene before fleeing to his own residence.
During his confession to authorities, Atval revealed that he had harboured resentment towards Rupal after she reprimanded him for his work performance two days prior to the horrific incident.