Mumbai Police to court: No need for further probe in ‘freak’ murder case

The Kalachowkie police that had been probing the case had filed a chargesheet in December, in which they had booked the accused, Santosh Arekar, on the charge of murder.

THE MUMBAI Police informed a local court on Thursday they will not be probing the death of Yakub Shaikh any more. Shaikh, an employee at a Toyota service centre, died allegedly after an air pressure pump was inserted in his rectum by a colleague in September last year.

The Kalachowkie police that had been probing the case had filed a chargesheet in December, in which they had booked the accused, Santosh Arekar, on the charge of murder. The family, however, felt the chargesheet was weak and would not stand scrutiny in a court of law. The family had then approached the Bombay High Court, which had directed the zonal deputy commissioner to look into the family’s objections and decide if the case warranted further probe.

“The DCP appeared before principal judge S B Agarwal and said the Mumbai Police have filed the chargesheet and there will be no further probe,” said advocate Moin Khan representing the Shaikh family.

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When contacted, DCP N Ambika said, “I informed the court that all aspects have been looked into in the prior investigation and there was no need to re-investigate the case again.”

The incident in question had taken place on September 23 last year, when Shaikh was working at the Toyota service centre, where he was employed as a cleaner. As per the police version, Shaikh and another cleaner Arekar were having a “playful banter”, when the later inserted the air hose in Shaikh’s rectum. As a result, Shaikh’s body bloated and he was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead.

The family later alleged he had complained to them of being targeted by his colleagues on religious lines in the past.

In the chargesheet filed by the police, while they had charged Arekar with murder, the motive that they mentioned was “drollery”. The family was sceptical that based on the chargesheet, the accused would easily be discharged. Therefore, they had filed a writ petition before the HC. A division bench of judges A M Badar and Naresh H Patil, in an order in April, had directed the zonal DCP to look into the objections raised by the family and see if there was a need of any further probe.

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The matter will now be heard in the sessions court on July 14 where charges are likely to be framed. The lawyer of the accused, who is currently behind bars, has also filed for bail before the HC. The matter will be heard in the HC on July 13.

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