In a significant breakthrough, Mumbai police have made an arrest in the tragic murder case of 24-year-old flight attendant Rupal Ogrey. The main suspect, Vikram Atwal, a 40-year-old man employed as a sweeper in the housing society where the victim resided, has been taken into custody and is currently undergoing questioning. The victim had come to Mumbai in April for training with Air India.
The arrest comes as a crucial development in the investigation. Deputy commissioner of police, Datta Nalawade, while interacting with media said, “Initially, we made a list of 35 suspects based on the probable time of death, after accessing all the entries in the visitors register. Throughout the night, we questioned the suspects and conducted a thorough technical investigation and several interviews. Eventually, we were able to narrow down the list of suspects until we reached the accused, 40-year-old Vikram Atwal.”
According to a report, when the investigating team arrived at Atwal’s residence in Tunga village, Andheri, they found him in a bloodstained shirt with evident injuries on his face and hands. These injuries strongly suggested a physical confrontation between Atwal and the victim, Rupal. The accused told police that he was offended by the way the deceased had spoken to him during a previous argument.
During the interrogation, the accused told the police he decided to go to her house with a knife at a time he knew she was alone. “He told us that in the course of the struggle, the victim had managed to overpower him physically, even seizing the knife at one point. Scared that her complaint might put him out of work, he swiftly regained control of the weapon and tragically slit her throat.” said an officer.
After ensuring that she was dead, he moved her body to the bathroom to prevent blood from spilling out under the apartment’s main door. He intended to delay the discovery of the body for a few days, at least until the victim’s sister returned home. He believed this would buy him enough time to flee and avoid arrest.
The police authorities have not ruled out the possibility of a sexual assault. The victim’s bodily samples have been sent to the state Forensic Science Laboratory in Kalina, and the results are anticipated in a couple of weeks.