Maharashtra: Toddler thrown out of moving cab dies; mother molested
What's the story
In a horrific incident, a toddler died after being thrown out of a moving cab while her mother was molested inside the car in Maharashtra's Palghar district.
The incident took place on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on Saturday morning.
According to news agency PTI, a police official said the woman was also later pushed out of the car and sustained severe injuries.
Report
How did the incident unravel?
It is learned that the victim and her daughter were returning to Poshere in Wada tehsil from Pelhar in a cab, which she was sharing with a few other passengers.
The woman alleged that her co-passengers and the cab driver molested her.
She also told the police that they snatched away her child and threw her out of the speeding cab when she resisted.
Information
One arrested, probe underway to identify other culprits: Police
A case has been registered at the Mandvi Police Station under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 304 and 354. So far, the police have arrested an accused named Vijay Kushwaha in the case. Moreover, a probe is underway to identify all culprits, said the police.
Case
Similar incident in Mumbai last month
In a similar incident, a cab driver was arrested last month for allegedly molesting a woman in Mumbai after he reportedly tried to pull her hand when she refused to get into his taxi.
The incident reportedly took place at the Mumbai International Airport.
Later, the Sahar Police arrested the accused, who was identified as Naeem Siddhique.
NCRB data
87 rape cases reported every day in 2021
The National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) data suggests that instances of rape and sexual abuse against women have been on the rise.
Notably, as per NCRB, India registered 31,677 rape cases in 2021. These numbers indicate approximately 87 such cases were reported each day on average.
Rajasthan reported the most rape cases, followed closely by other states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Numbers
Maharashtra reported fourth highest rape cases last year
With an increase of over 19% from 2020, Rajasthan (6,337) reported the highest number of rape cases in India last year.
While Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh recorded 2,947 and 2,845 cases of rape, respectively, Maharashtra was fourth on the list with 2,506 such cases.
The statistics also showed that in India, in 96.5% of rape cases, the offender was known to the survivor.