CCTV footage shows man accompanying victim

The man in the footage is seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He is seen pulling Esther’s black suitcase behind him, as she walks about three feet away, the police said. Her body language has been described as “comfortable”, leading the police to assume he was known to Esther.

Esther, who arrived in Mumbai from her Christmas break at home on January 5, was last seen exiting LTT. However, she did not reach her hostel in Andheri West. The family discovered her decomposed body in a marshy plot off the Eastern Express Highway in Bhandup on January 18.

“He is definitely not a taxi driver operating near LTT. He appears to be a private cab driver who took Esther into confidence,” said D D Wadmare, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), GRP. Wadmare added that all possible profiles were being looked at.
The image of the man’s face, which is clear in the footage, has been sent to Esther’s family and friends, and her colleagues in Mumbai. “We have also sent the image to the Kanjurmarg police station and Crime Branch. The image has also been sent to the domestic and international airports and to all rail exits in Mumbai,” said Wadmare.

Esther’s uncle Arun Kumar, however, said they have asked the police to provide them with more footage to help them identify her. “The police shared the footage with us at around 11 am on Friday. We have not yet confirmed that it is positively her. There are men walking ahead and behind her, so how do we know for sure with whom she exited? Also, the woman in the footage is wearing blue leggings, whereas Esther was wearing blue jeans and a pink top when she left home,” he said.

He also pointed to a tag on a backpack the woman is seen carrying. “Esther’s backpack had no such tag. The woman is seen talking on a cell phone, but that call does not corroborate with the call data records of Esther’s phone that we examined. We have said neither yes nor no to the police,” he said.