Mumbai: For months now, the two slum colonies in Mumbai's Kurla are living in the shadow of fear. Fear that perhaps a serial killer is on the prowl. Since February, three girls have been kidnapped, raped and killed and police are grappling to solve the cases.
"We won't let the police or media enter here. We are very angry. What about our justice," said one of the local residents of Alidada estate slum.
There is outrage in Alidada estate slum in Kurla. On Sunday a decomposed body of 9-year Nusrat Sheikh, who lived here, was found. Nusrat had been missing for 15 days. She is the third girl under the age of 10 to have been kidnapped, raped and killed in this area since February.
"Now they have the body, they have the clues; they have the dogs, so why can't they solve the case? They get the sniffer dogs, move them around and that's it. They did the same in earlier case too," said another resident of Alidada estate slum.
"My daughter is afraid. She says she won't go to school," said a local of Alidada estate slum.
The people's anger is a response to the police's failure to catch the culprit. It's also an expression of their own deep fears of more such kidnappings.
An attempt to abduct two more girls is said to be made, but they managed to survive by screaming and running away.
Vanita, a local resident, said one of them was her daughter.
"My daughter was returning from my mother's place when he came and caught her hand. I was around and yelled where you are taking my child," said Vanita.
The police seem to be on very thin ground here. In the last four months, three girls have been abducted raped and killed. The police have hardly any clue on and the possible linkages in the three cases, if any. Based on eyewitness accounts they have prepared the sketch of the possible suspects and circulated the pictures, but nothing has come out of it. Meanwhile, this area continues to simmer in anger and fear.