22-year-old’s family cries foul over mysterious death

NAGPUR: The mysterious death of Saurabh Raut (22), working as security guard with Mahametro, has become a bone of contention between the police and his family.

While the Koradi police are still calling it as an accidental death, the family is claiming murder in which two police officials' sons are involved. The detailed post mortem report is awaited.

Saurabh's body was found with injuries on the head near railway track behind Mankapur crematorium in the wee hours of September 29. It has come to fore that Saurabh had gone there along with his friends Pritesh Kasbekar, Ashish Bobde and Ashish Gohad.

The police said the friends have revealed in the statement that Saurabh got hit by a train while urinating on the tracks. Earlier, the friends had also sat on the tracks for fun while consuming liquor.

The four friends has consumed alcohol on Bobde's birthday. Bobde and Kasbekar's fathers are in the police department. Saurabh left for home near police headquarters at Takli at 7.30pm with Kasbekar. The victim stayed with his mother Annu, who owns a laundry business.

Saurabh's father Naresh, who stays at Umrer, said his son's friends fled from the spot without informing the police and family about the death, which is suspicious. "The police have been unable to trace my son's mobile phone. He also had cash with him. We believe that he was murdered for either money or due to some differences with the friends over employment at Mahametro," he said.

Naresh said his son's body was found near the railway track in a manner which is unlikely in a case of hit by a train. "The body could have been thrown in a different manner than in the position it was found. The cops seem to be shielding the accused as they are linked to the department," he said.

Senior PI SM Gorade of the Koradi police station said there is no reason to believe that the cops were shielding culprits. "The initial findings by the forensic experts of Mayo hospital indicated that the internal injuries of the victim were such that it could not have happened even after being assaulted with heavy sticks or lathis by three or four persons," he said.

"The internal injuries indicated dash by something bulky and heavier than it could have happened due to assault. It is a fact that the friends got frightened and fled from the spot. They even admitted to throwing the mobile phone from Mankapur bridge, which could not be traced," Gorade said.

He said the detailed post mortem report would soon be available, which would lead to final conclusions. "If the detailed injury reports and other findings suggests murder, then we would register a case," he added.