Arrested auto driver not involved, say cops

The police are now questioning other auto and taxi drivers.

An auto driver, who had emerged as a suspect in the Esther Anuhya murder case, turned out to be a wrong catch.

An auto driver, who had emerged as a suspect in the Esther Anuhya murder case, turned out to be a wrong catch. The ‘suspect’ was questioned at length last week, sources said.

Esther, a Hyderabad native, went missing after reaching the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) on January 5. Her severely decomposed body was found in Bhandup near the Eastern Express Highway on January 16. The police have not ruled out sexual assault.

Last week, the Crime Branch received a tip-off saying that an auto driver was seen picking up a young girl from LTT in the first week of January. “We traced the auto driver and brought him in for questioning. He admitted to have picked up a girl but said he had not harmed her in any way. We suspected that he was involved in the crime and grilled him further,” said a Crime Branch officer.

After a couple of days of questioning and cross-checking his movements using cellular locations as well as statements from other auto drivers who operate in the same area, the police learned the truth. “He had picked up a young girl from LTT, but it was on the January 1. We checked his movements on the day of Esther’s disappearance, which confirmed that he was not in Bhandup that day,” the officer added.

The police are now questioning other auto and taxi drivers.

gautam.mengle@expressindia.com

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