MUMBAI: Murdered Machilipatnam techie Esther Anuhya had made desperate pleas to Chandrabhan Sanap, the arrested accused, and even promised to pay him Rs 2 lakh if he spared her life. “I beg you to let me go; you take whatever cash is on me, but allow me to go. I can manage one or two lakh rupees and give you later but for God’s sake let me go.” These were the last words of 23-year-old Esther Anuhya to the accused after he sexually assaulted her in the bushes at Kanjurmarg. But her desperate pleasfell on the deaf ears of the pervert sadist who strangulated her and, subsequently, burnt her body.
Sanap met Anhuya at LTT terminus where she had landed from Machilipatnama on January 6. Posing as a taxi driver, he offered to drop her at Andheri for Rs 300. They spoke for three minutes and, strangely, she agreed to travel on his bike.
Sanap reportedly told police that his initial intention was to only rob her. “As he was a former resident of Karve Nagar at Kanjurmarg adjoining the highway which is densely covered with greenery, he knew the place well,” said an officer. He told police that en route, Esther had tried to raise an alarm and even tried to catch the attention of a roadside tea vendor near Sahakar Theatre. “The bike was at high speed and Sanap made intimidating gestures at him,” an officer said. Police found the tea vendor and recorded his statement. Sanap told police that through the side mirror he saw her fidgeting with her mobile phone as if she was texting someone.
Initially, it was believed that she had no talk-time left but joint commissioner of police (Crime) Sadanand Date said, “Esther had two SIM cards and we have found out that while one card was out of talk time, there was some balance in the other but unfortunately there were no calls made.”
Police have still not been able to fathom as to why she failed to make an emergency calls to family or police. Sanap told police that after reaching the spot, he slapped her after which she started bleeding. “He threatened her with dire consequences if she failed to agree to his demands.”
Police claimed to have recovered a pair of Esther’s clothes and her spectacles from Sanap sister’s eatery. Clothes and spectacles have been sent for FSL to retrieve the DNA of Esther and accused. “The police have sought the help of expert divers to help them recover Esther’s laptop which Sanap claimed to have thrown in Kadavli river near Titwala. Sanap told police that while he was travelling from Mumbai to Nashik in train, he tried to operate the laptop but failed. “He saw his picture on the laptop screen and then flung it into the river,” an officer said.
Esther’s father S Prasad on Friday met Date. “I showed him the corroborating evidences and he was satisfied and happy with the progress of investigations” added Date.
Police have decided to make Sanap’s friend Nandkishore Sahu a witness in the case. After committing the crime Sanap not only revealed his crime to Sahu but also took him to the spot and showed him Esther’s body.