Man found dead outside Sion fort: A year on, Sion police, Crime Branch left with more questions than answers

Kishan Chaudhary

The mystery around the body of an alleged pickpocket that was found with ligature marks on his neck outside the Sion fort has refused to abate for more than a year. The more the police have tried to investigate the case of Kishan Chaudhary (60), known as an old timer in pickpocketing circles who operated alone, they have been left with more questions than answers. It has been more than a year and the murder case registered at the Sion police station continues to remain unsolved.

The body of Chaudhary was found in the wee hours of November 11, 2016, noticed by clean up marshals outside the fort. The body that had been found with ligature marks was sent to the Sion hospital. The post-mortem report indicated that Chaudhary had been strangulated to death, following which a murder case was registered at Sion police station. At that point, the police did not have any clue about Chaudhary’s background. During the course of the investigation, the police found that Chaudhary resided at Nallasopara with a woman.

The police team questioned the woman, who said that she was living-in with Chaudhary since the past four years. She, however, said that she had no clue about Chaudhary, who would stay missing for 8-10 days and then return with money. “She told us that on several occasions she saw him stick currency notes after he returned. Normally, when pickpockets use a blade to steal a wallet, they end up cutting the notes which are then stuck. Hence, we suspected that he may be in pickpocketing,” said an officer linked to the probe.

Based on what the woman told the police, they checked his name with the crime records and found a match at Bhoiwada police station. “We found that he had a pickpocketing case registered against him at Bhoiwada police station in 2008. We then started asking several pickpockets, who told us that they knew Chaudhary. They said that unlike others who worked in groups he operated alone and did not interact much with anyone,” an officer said.

Besides the local Sion police, the Crime Branch also started investigating the case. A Crime Branch officer said that just ahead of the spot where the body was found, there were five CCTV cameras. However, unfortunately the exact spot was not covered. All we know is that someone came in a four-wheeler on the night of November 10, flung the body outside the Sion fort, which is an isolated spot, and fled, the officer added. He used two mobile phones but both were found at his Nallasopara residence.

While going through the documents he submitted while taking the house on rent, the police found a Panchkula Sector 17 address that he listed as his official address. Hoping to get some information on his family, a Mumbai police team landed there. However, they found the address that he had given did not exist. “The only person who knows anything about Chaudhary is the woman he was living with. She, however, does not know anything about his past. She did not know where he left for on the night of November 10 or if he had a fight with anyone,” the officer said.

He added, “We do not know if he has any extended living family or not. The case has reached a dead end. Unless someone comes forward to give some information, it will be difficult to solve the case.”

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