But they miscalculated. Neither the darkness of the hour, the isolation nor the immense trauma came in the way of her determination to locate a police station. Her two attackers were caught on the railway platform, sipping cold drinks.

Her ordeal was followed by another traumatic day at the police station where she had to time and again give details of the rape, with no support system. But once again, her courage shone through: ``I was so scared and just could not stop trembling,'' she told this reporter. ``But I was intent on complaining to the police for I didn't want a similar thing to happen to another woman.''

Between sobs and shivers she gathered the courage to once again recount her horror, thisis her story: I work at Santa Cruz for the Sharmas where I mind their three children. It is a 24-hours job, but as they had guests over, I was going to Dadar to be with my family. After boarding the train at 11.30 pm at Santa Cruz, I found the women in the compartment getting off at Bandra. So I asked the two cops who had boarded the compartment at Khar Road wheather the train would go to Dadar. They said no. And the darker of the two (the accused, Vijay Waghambare) grabbed my hand and bagan leading me to a train.

I immediately sensed something amiss and frantically asked him where he was taking me. But he only replied that he was a cop and that I should trust him. By now I was really frightened and tried to struggle but he kept going and took me to a train in the yard. The two men then lifted me into the compartment for the handicapped. The dark man then asked the fairer cop to shut the door and switched of the lights. He also asked him for something else (a contraceptive) and tried to remove myclothes.

He then flung me across the bench and jammed my neck under the handle of the seat, next to the window. He caught both my wrists in one hand and opened the salwar with his teeth. All the while I kept shouting and asking him to leave me at which he threatened me saying, ``Ek kana khali deu ka?''

(Should I box you?) and proceeded to rape me.

Minutes later the fairer cop who had been watching all this while shouted, `Koi aa raha hai.

' Thats was when he got up and went away.''

After a while this girl jumped off the train and walked upto the Bandra railway police station at 12.50 am. On hearing her complaint, the officers there acted swiftly and sent two plainclothes policemen with her and arrested the two. The rapist 22-year-old vijay Waghambare and his partner 27-year-old Ashok Kumar Bakelal Choudhary both RPF constables on duty are in police custody till February 11.

Life has not been easy on the young victim even otherwise. She lost her father two years ago to asthama, and hermother and her five siblings were thrown out of their own pukka tenement at Santa Cruz by her uncle three months back. Her mother now sells vegetables at Dadar and sleeps on the pavements. Her own meagre earning of Rs 400 per month were being used to repay back a loan. Her major concern right now is whether her employer will take her back. Sunita Sharma came to the police station after being informed of the incident but refused to sign any documents.

In these last hours since her ordeal, there has been just one sliver of hope: Her boyfriend, who works in a grocery store. For the first time, she smiles slightly shyly whispers that he told her this morning not to worry and that he would be willing to marry her.