Beware A Mean Black Merc

At about 2.30 am on a murky Saturday, Abhishek was reportedly returning from a night out drinking when he spotted the woman. She claimed later that he introduced himself as Vicky Malhotra and offered her a ride to Mumbai Central station. Instead, he took her to the family-owned Sriram Mills compound. The victim says Kasliwal raped her four times in the Merc before dropping her off where he had picked her up.

Kasliwal was arrested from his Peddar Road residence on Sunday afternoon after the watchman at Sriram Mills identified Kasliwal and the victim, saying that they had driven in together. On Monday, when he was produced before a magistrate, Kasliwal’s lawyer argued that it was a case of consensual sex. But Abhishek’s clothes from the night are still to be traced and the victim sustained a fracture on the right forearm and bite marks on her neck. "This is a clear-cut case of sexual assault," said DCP (Zone III) Santosh Rastogi.

Meanwhile, the victim’s own background remains a mystery. Friends say she is the widow of a Belgian sailor, and a mother of two. Speculation was rife as a shocked city made guesses about what a young, rich boy was doing with a woman old enough to be his mother. Meanwhile, the Kasliwal family patriarch issued this statement: "Without going into the merits and demerits of the case, I would like to say that if Abhishek has indeed indulged in wrongdoings, I would be the last person to come in the way of justice." Abishek has been remanded to police custody till March 17. If proved guilty, he could face a sentence of up to 10 years.