(The following narration is a true story , My cousins story . Am sharing this
with you today with the hope that , if ever in life should you find yourself in a
dire situation , you make better judgements. This is how I have chosen to find
my closure. Love ya sis….)
Life was spinning out of control,
Trying to make sense of it all ,
Had quit my job , was facing my parents wrath.
Thought some lone time would help me put things back into
perspective, or not..
The Goan morning began with the a rather heart breaking text
from mum ,
Khushboo is murdered ,
it said.
This can’t be happening , is this some sick joke? But it
wasn’t …..
On my flight back home , I was cold and numb.
Bhai was there to pick me up. He wrapped his arms around me and I Lost all my composure. He
gathered the broken me and we headed to say our last goodbyes…
Khushboo ,
A cousin , but was more like a sister I never had. The cat-fights , the gossips , the pizza n friends marathons, we did it all. I remember this one time, she cracked me up
so hard that I literally fell on the floor laughing and couldn’t get myself to
stop for a good 30 minutes. I don’t remember if I’ve ever laughed like that
again. May be I never will…….
Married for almost 3 years to a very kind and loving man, she was finally
having her chance at happiness. Her difficult childhood was the result of her
parents ugly separation. She always felt torn inside. But she was happy now,
she'd made peace with her past.
Am going to be a mommy , she couldn’t stop gushing when she shared
this news with me. This child is going to be my universe she said . I had
secretly started planning a baby shower for her. Little
did I know it was all about to get jinxed….
The abrupt end…..
A year and a half back she'd hired some local contractors
for a paint job at home.On the afternoon of 2ndJuly2013 the same 3 painters came
back stating that they were in the vicinity and that they were willing to provide free touch-ups. Not sure if she should
let them in , she called up jiju , who
at that time was at work. He told khushboo to send the painters back and ask
them to return the next day when he is home. She tried to reason with the painters
but they convinced her on the pretext that they will be done within no time. She
bought the argument and let them in. BIG MISTAKE ….
Once the painters were in the house , they asked Khushboo for some water . As she
entered the kitchen they locked the main door . She thought she heard something
and made her way back into the living room. That’s when she realized she was in
trouble. She did put up a fight , but they managed to overpower her and finally
strangulated her with a wire.
As she lay there in a pool
of blood, she took her last breath.
As she lay there in a
pool of blood, her four month old unborn baby lost its chance at life .
As she lay there in a pool of blood, the vultures ransacked for
once that was a home and made away with a loot.
Jiju felt something amiss when all his calls went unanswered
, so he sent his mother-in-law to check
on her, but .. it was late.
Its heart wrenching to come in terms with loss. Over and over I keep revising that place in my mind , hoping she would have done things differently.
How i wish , she would have asked the painters to come another
time, she’d be alive today.
How i wish, she would
have asked a neighbour to stick around while the painters did their job, she’d be alive today.
How i wish , she had an emergency app like The Smart Suraksha , which
at a touch of a single button would have sent out an SOS message to her 5 per
listed contacts and the police along with her co-ordinates. Her mother who lives only two blocks
away could have responded to her cry for help and it probably would have helped saved her
life.
How i wish......
How i wish......
The police did a commendable job of hunting down the
suspects. For more information on the case:
She was murdered in broad day light , in the comfort of her
home . It’s time we disillusion
ourselves and snap out of our denials that
this can never happen to me …….. it just did.
The paper is full of it:
The paper is full of it:
How bad is it ?
Some key crime facts about India based on NCRB data for year
2012
1. India remains one of the most violent nations to live in has been further reinforced by NCRB’s ‘Crime in India’ report - 2012. The total incidence of violent crimes has increased by 65 percent in 2012 over the previous year.
2. Safety and security of women in India remains questionable as overall crime graph against women has witnessed 6.8 per cent rise in 2012.
3. Madhya Pradesh with 3425 cases in 2012 is the new rape capital of India. Overall at the country level, incidence of rape has risen by 2.96 per cent in 2012 over the previous year.
4. Kidnapping& abduction of girls and women continues unabated. A 7.5 percent rise in cases of kidnapping , abduction & murder of girls and women has been reported in 2012.
1. India remains one of the most violent nations to live in has been further reinforced by NCRB’s ‘Crime in India’ report - 2012. The total incidence of violent crimes has increased by 65 percent in 2012 over the previous year.
2. Safety and security of women in India remains questionable as overall crime graph against women has witnessed 6.8 per cent rise in 2012.
3. Madhya Pradesh with 3425 cases in 2012 is the new rape capital of India. Overall at the country level, incidence of rape has risen by 2.96 per cent in 2012 over the previous year.
4. Kidnapping& abduction of girls and women continues unabated. A 7.5 percent rise in cases of kidnapping , abduction & murder of girls and women has been reported in 2012.
Inflation , unemployment , poor law and order and media influence , was can play this blame all night. But its about time we take our safety in our own hands. In times of crisis, technology can be of great help. It’s time we learn exploit it.
“Smart Suraksha” a free android based emergency app, at a click of a single button the app will send out simultaneous messages to 5 people and the police , along with your exact location even if your GPS is turned off. May the need never arise, but still GET IT TODAY, YOU OWE IT TO YOUR SELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES.
This post is a part of an awareness program in collaboration
with The Smart Suraksha App , powered by Blogadda .
(p.s. for some street smart tips on how to survive in the Mumbai city go here : Survival Mumbai 411)
