JOIN USLiquor bottles, burnt condoms, empty cigarette packs and an abandoned house welcome any person who visits the remote isolated area in Eshwarnagar, which is allegedly the crime spot where the fourth year MBBS student of Manipal University was gang raped.
The incident has allegedly taken place in the incomplete foundation of a house besides an abandoned shelter at the end of the 11th main in the 8th cross in Eshwarnagar. The area comprising hillocks has barely human settlements nearby except for the two houses at a distance.
The concrete stretch ends near the curve opening up for the barren land. The grass bed covering the soil will indeed hush-up the footmarks and is slippery. It can be recalled that the injury marks found on the body of the victim is said to be due to the fall over the slippery area.
However, the victim had very grim chances of escape as the area leads towards steep on all the three sides. The incomplete foundation of the house has been reportedly used by the offenders to commit the crime. The area that surrounds the crime spot is slant towards further.
The victim who was abducted at around 11.30 pm to 11.40 pm on Thursday in front of the University library was taken to Eshwarnagar through Value View hotel and Marina sports complex. The university guards failed to chase the auto reportedly due to the high speed of auto.
The crime spot explicitly indicates that only the people who are well aware about the every nook and corner of Manipal have committed the crime. She was dropped back near Valley View Cosmo cafe from where the victim walked back to her apartment.
The two houses at distance from where the crime was committed belong to Rama Shettigar and Naryana Shettigar.
Narayana Shettigar’s daughter Vidya told Deccan Herald that the dogs were barking never like before and it was raining that night.
“We, especially my mother could hear a sort of screaming voice. However, we were not sure that the voice is of human. The chain of incidents took place at around 12 midnight. Later, we did not pay attention as it was raining. We realized only in the evening on Friday about the incident when police started questioning us.
It was awful sounds that night that were the blend of dogs barking and feeble voice,” she said and added that the house which is abandoned nearby belongs to a Christian family who are settled abroad. There was an elderly man in the house who died some four years ago, after which the house is left empty and there is no one to look after it, she said.
Kamala Shettigar, wife of Rama Shettigar said that they were not sure what was happening, but only realised about the tragic event on the Friday evening. The dogs were barking and we did not dare to venture out.
“Usually we find some students coming once in a while during day time. However, we were not interested to go out in the midnight.
We all go for work in the early morning and we did not want to take any risk,” she said and added that the incident has made her fear about the safety of her daughters as the area is very deserted. It might have happened to some other girl, but she is also like our daughter.
We never imagined such a thing to happen here, she added.
The liquor bottles and burnt condom raises qualms over several questions that need to be mapped out. Besides, these materials also substantiate the crime that has taken place in the area.