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A Spanish woman who was raped and robbed at her rented flat here early this week, on Thursday identified her tormentor during a parade conducted inside the Arthur Road Jail, the police said.
The victim, a musician, identified accused Mohammed Badsha Mohammed Ismail Ansari, 30 as the one who robbed and sexually assaulted her after breaking into the flat in suburban Bandra in early hours of Monday, they said.
"As the victim has identified the accused, it would strengthen our case against him," a police official said. Ansari, a history-sheeter, was arrested on Tuesday and on Wednesday produced before a magistrate court which remanded him in judicial custody for two days. He was subsequently sent to the high-security jail in south Mumbai.
As part of the parade conducted under the supervision of an executive magistrate, Ansari, along with a few others resembling him, was made to stand in line. The victim was called and asked to identity the culprit.
To this, the 27-year-old Spaniard pointed towards Ansari, claiming he had raped and robbed her, the police said. According to the police, the valuables stolen from the apartment, including cash, were yet to be recovered.
Instead of seeking his custody, which is the normal practice, police asked for judicial remand saying they wanted to conduct identification parade immediately as the victim had expressed desire to leave for her country at the earliest.
The police have also collected DNA samples of Ansari to match with DNA from material recovered from the victim's house as part of their efforts to nail him. Items collected from the flat had been sent for forensic analysis.
Ansari, facing at least 20 criminal cases, has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 452 (house trespass), 392 (robbery), 376 (rape), 377 (unnatural sex) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
Incidentally, Ansari had been arrested on October 27 for committing robbery at the residence of Bollywood actor Dino Morea. He was later granted bail in this case.