The Marine Drive police have initiated investigations into the alleged suicide of a couple, who was found dead at the Girgaum sea face on Friday morning.
The bodies, which are of a couple in their fifties, were found under the flyover near Pransukhlal Mafatlal Bath and Boat Club. Morning walkers who spotted the bodies, called the police control room. “We rushed them to GT Hospital, where they were declared dead before admission,” an officer with the Marine Drive police said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Abhishek Trimukhe confirmed the incident and said efforts are under way to identify the couple. “Post-mortem was conducted on both the bodies and no external injuries were found,” Mr. Trimukhe said.
The police also found a bag near the bodies. The bag contained toothbrushes, towels, and extra clothes for the man and the woman, which has led the police to believe that the couple is not from Mumbai. The police, however, did not find any identity proof documents or suicide note.
“The circumstantial evidence found so far indicates that they travelled to Mumbai from somewhere outside, and had planned to spend at least a day, going by the items found in the bag. We are examining CCTV camera footage of and around the area to check which direction the couple may have come from, and what exactly happened at the spot where their bodies were found,” the officer said.
Another officer said the fact that their clothes and toiletries were near the bodies, but no documents indicating their identity, has led the police to suspect that they had either planned to commit suicide and purposely left their documents back home, or that they were robbed.
“Anti-social elements who prey upon helpless couples at night could have made away with their purses, which usually contain documents like PAN cards or driving licence. These belongings could also have been stolen after they committed suicide. Some criminal elements looking to prey on people sleeping on the streets might have taken them without even knowing that the couple was dead. The CCTV footage will provide leads. We will also make inquiries with repeat offenders with a history of theft, who routinely operate on the Marine Drive–Girgaum sea face stretch,” the officer said.
The police have taken pictures of the couple and circulated them among all police stations in the Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Thane Rural and Palghar commissionerates, seeking information about a couple in their 50s going missing. The pictures are also being circulated on WhatsApp groups of policemen and citizens.
The police have registered accidental death reports.