5 bodies found in Thane river

The deceased have been identified as Kamta Kane (37),her daughters Deepali (14) and Mayuri (9) and sons Sagar (12) and Sahil (6). They had gone missing from their house in Pundas village in Bhiwandi taluka in Thane district on Monday evening. Their bodies were found floating in the Kamavari river by local residents,led by Kamta’s husband Naresh,who is employed at the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation,around 9.30 am on Tuesday.

The police were then called to the spot. Inspector S M Chaudhari of the Ganeshpuri police station in Thane Rural said they have registered an accidental death report in the case. “The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination and the results are awaited.”

Senior police officers also visited the spot. IGP (Konkan Range) Parambir Singh said the deaths could also be accidental. “There is a possibility that the five may have drowned. The clothes of some of the children were found on the bank of the river. They were in their school uniforms,which suggests they may have come from school when they drowned,” said Singh.

SP (Thane Rural) Rajeshkumar Mor said there were no wounds on the bodies. “This may be a case of drowning,but we have to ascertain if it was accidental or forced.”

Sources,however,said there was swelling near Mayuri’s private parts. “While all other factors suggest drowning,including the fact that the eyes of the victims were protruding out of the socket,swelling near Mayuri’s private parts suggest there may be more to the case. We have asked the doctors to take a vaginal swab for chemical analysis. Only the results will reveal if she was sexually abused. If that is the case,there is a possibility that the five victims may have been forcefully drowned by the accused. That is just a theory being investigated,” said an officer who did not wish to be named.