The parents of a 17-year-old boy, whose body was found near the tracks of Rabale station on October 5, suspect foul play, while the police claim he fell off a train.
Sujit Sonawane, a resident of Nosil Naka and Class XII student, left home at 6 p.m. on October 3 to attend evening college in Thane. When he did not return home and respond to calls, his parents filed a missing complaint with Rabale police.
On October 5 at 10.30 a.m., the railway control room received a call informing them that a body had been found near the railway tracks at Rabale.
Senior Police Inspector Pradeep Tidaar said, “The body was found in Vashi Government Railway Police’s jurisdiction. It is clearly a railway accident and there is no foul play. CCTV footage shows him standing on the foot board. The head injuries suggest that he hit against a pole.”
Mr. Tidaar said the time of his death, the train’s schedule and the call detail record were all in sync. “He was a normal boy from a poor family. Why would anyone kill him?” he said.
Shyamrao Sonawane, Sujit’s father, said, “No one saw my son fall off the train. No one informed the police about the incident. The body was found only a day after he went missing. We made several calls to him and a woman answered the calls. Later, a man picked up the phone and abused us.”
Seeking answers
Mr. Sonawane added, “Why didn’t the police track my son’s phone after we reported him missing? We wrote to 17 authorities including the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister, the Director General of Police, the Commissioner and Ministers. We are yet to receive a response.”
Suresh Patil, Senior Police Inspector, Vashi GRP, said: “We forwarded the case to the Rabale police after preliminary investigation. They will probe the case further.”