The deceased has been identified as Mohamed Wasim Shaikh. A 21-year-old man was killed while his 19-year-old partner sustained injuries after the couple was attacked with sharp objects by a group of people at Mahim Chowpatty early on Wednesday.
The deceased has been identified as Mohamed Wasim Shaikh.
Mahim police have registered a case under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and are on the lookout of the attackers.
Additional Commissioner of police (central region) Dnyaneshwar Chavan said, “The incident happened early on Wednesday when the couple was seated at the seafront near the dargah. The case was registered in the morning and we suspect that locals are behind the attack.”
According to police officials, the woman in her statement said that after visiting the dargah, she was sitting with Shaikh at the chowpatty at around 1am when two men came to the spot and inquired with them. Following this, they attacked the duo with sharp objects, police said.
Shaikh died on the spot while the woman took a taxi and went to Bhabha hospital.
“As she had injuries on her neck and other parts of her body, the authorities at Bhabha hospital inquired with her and later informed the police. After this, a team went to the scene of crime and recovered Shaikh’s body,” an officer said.
Later in the day, the woman, who is currently out of danger, was shifted to Sion hospital.
The investigators said Shaikh and the woman were both residents of Shivaji Nagar in Govandi. Police are trying to ascertain whether previous enmity led to the attack, they added.
An officer requesting anonymity said, “The woman is facing difficulty in divulging the facts of the incident as she has sustained injuries on her neck. She has claimed that the attackers forced themselves on her, but the result of her medical examination has come negative. We have so far not implied sections of molestation or rape; we will verify that aspect and apply those sections accordingly.”
Mahim police along with crime branch officials are scrutinising CCTV footage to look for the culprits.
“The incident happened in the wee hours and CCTV cameras were not able to capture anything as it was too dark. We are checking the cameras around the spot,” said an investigator.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
