Mumbai: Body found in Mahim creek identified

The police found the body in a highly decomposed state, making physical identification impossible. Representation pic

CCTV footage and a tattoo helped Mahim police identify an unclaimed body which was found floating in Mahim Creek on the night of January 14. The police initially registered a murder case as the man's legs had been tied using a towel.

"The body was ten days old and it was completely decomposed when it was found. The legs were tied and there was also a head injury. The only identifying mark was a tattoo that read ‘Prakash' on the shoulder. Considering the facts and the seriousness of the matter we initially registered a murder case," a senior police officer told mid-day on condition of anonymity.

Six dedicated teams were formed to investigate this case. "The golden 48 hours prove crucial in such cases and hence we started to find small clues. After thoroughly investigating the body, we found that the deceased had worn trousers stitched by a tailor in Vasai. Also, we suspected the tattoo to be the name of the deceased. We visited the tailor and he provided receipts for all orders. We found a bill in the name of a person named Prakash and visited his residence, but it turned out that the man was alive," the officer said.

The police then started to check missing person reports in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and the Konkan region. "During the investigation, we found that a woman had complained about her husband going missing. We traced her to Grant Road and she informed us that her 50-year-old husband had been missing since January 4," the officer added.

According to the police, the deceased lived on the street near Grant Road railway station. "We checked CCTV footage and found that he had boarded a train at Grant Road and started tying his legs when he reached Dadar. He was nowhere to be seen when the train reached Bandra," the officer said.

The CCTV footage was shown to the woman who identified the man as her missing husband. "We also showed her clothes that were recovered from the body and she confirmed they belonged to the deceased," the officer said.

The woman also informed the police that her husband tried to end his life on January 3, but was saved by the Marine Drive cops. He then returned home and slept.

On January 4, he boarded a train, tied his legs and jumped into Mahim Creek. "His family said he was an excellent swimmer and hence might have tied his legs," the officer said. The police await medical reports to ascertain the cause of death.

Jan 4
Day deceased jumped into Mahim Creek

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