In 2014, the Mumbai police claimed to have cracked one of its most challenging cases by arresting for the murder of a 23-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad who went missing after alighting from a long-distance train at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) railway station.
The woman went missing on January 5, 2014, following her return to Mumbai after spending Christmas with her parents in Hyderabad. The police arrested and booked Sanap nearly two months later.
More than a decade later, the Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Chandrabhan Sanap, who was sentenced to death by lower courts that found him guilty on charges of rape, murder, and for causing disappearance of evidence.
What led to the murder, according to the Mumbai police
According to the Mumbai police, on January 5, 2014, when the woman arrived at LTT station, Sanap allegedly approached her, posing as a taxi driver. He convinced her that he could take her to her hostel in Andheri.
The police claim that Sanap’s initial intention was to rob her. He led her to the parking lot where his motorcycle was parked. Upon seeing the bike, she allegedly hesitated but Sanap persuaded her to accompany him, assuring her it would be cheaper than hiring an auto or taxi, the police said.
A police reconstruction of the events suggests that sensing her unease, Sanap grabbed her bag, placed it on his bike, and allegedly used it to pressure her into accompanying him. The woman reluctantly agreed to go with him, the police claimed.
According to the police, Sanap initially planned to rob the woman but later changed his mind and decided to sexually assault her when the two were on the bike. The police alleged that between Kanjurmarg and Mulund, Sanap allegedly stopped his bike and took her into the bushes to rape her. When she resisted, Sanap allegedly strangled her.
He then fled the scene and contacted his friend Nandkishor Sahu, bringing him to the location, according to the police. Sanap allegedly doused the woman’s body in petrol and set it on fire. Sahu did not participate in the crime, the police said, and was made the prime witness in the case.
How Sanap was traced
When the woman’s parents could not contact her by phone and she failed to return to her hostel, they began searching for her. They visited police stations in Hyderabad and Mumbai, ultimately filing a missing person’s report at the local police station. Later, the Mumbai Crime Branch took over the investigation.
At the same time, the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Kurla initiated their own investigation as LTT station fell within their jurisdiction. During the investigation, the police discovered CCTV footage from the platform showing the woman allegedly walking with Sanap toward the foot overbridge. Later, her remains were found in the bushes in Kanjurmarg.
The police conducted extensive inquiries with over 1,000 people, including passengers who had travelled with the woman, auto and taxi drivers, porters, and vendors near LTT, as well as those in the area where her body was discovered. It was through these efforts, and after showing the footage to station staff, that Sanap was allegedly identified.
On February 20, 2014, the Kurla GRP caught Sanap in Nashik and questioned him. He was released after he claimed innocence. The police officials, however, noted that he had grown a beard to alter his appearance.
Two months later, with the investigation at a standstill, the Crime Branch and GRP shared their lists of interrogated individuals and revisited the suspects. In their renewed efforts, the police examined Sanap’s phone records, including its IMEI number, and traced his location to LTT station on the night of January 5.
“We brought him in for questioning again. Initially, Sanap denied being at LTT station on January 5, but when we confronted him with evidence that his phone was there, his answers became increasingly evasive,” an officer said.
The police then shaved off his beard, revealing his face matched the person seen in the CCTV footage with the woman. During further questioning, Sanap allegedly confessed to the crime, admitting he had disposed of her laptop in a river and given her clothes to a beggar in Nashik. Some pieces of her clothing were allegedly recovered from his home later.
In 2015, a special women’s court sentenced Sanap to death for raping and murdering the woman. Sanap appealed the verdict in the Bombay High Court, which upheld the death penalty.
However, the Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted him, citing discrepancies in the prosecution’s evidence and arguments.
More than a decade after the crime, the Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Chandrabhan Sanap. (Express Photo) 
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