Khar murder case: Cops find first witness, who 'heard screaming'

Khar police officers and forensic experts during a crime scene reconstruction at Bhagwanti Heights in Khar. File pic

In a significant development, the Khar police found a resident at Bhagwanti Heights who heard the screams of a girl when 19-year-old Jhanavi Kukreja was allegedly murdered during a New Year's Eve party.

Accused Shree Jogdhankar

And in another major development which makes the police's job more challenging, a forensic test by the Kalina Directorate Forensic Science Laboratories (DFSL) has returned inconclusive as no foreign DNA has been found in the nail clippings of the accused and on the Kukreja's body.

Sources in the Mumbai police said, "The DFSL report is inconclusive as no presence of any foreign DNA was found on the deceased's body."

The accused's nail clippings were taken a day after the incident. "We had taken nail clippings of every guest present at the party, including the accused, to get clarity on the involvement of people in the incident," an officer said.

As the entire case was dependent on circumstantial and forensic evidence, the inconclusive DFSL report will play a major role in the case.

Accused Diya Padalkar

A senior Mumbai police officer said that the report has been sent to forensic experts at Cooper hospital for further analysis and opinion. It is the same team that had conducted the autopsy on Kukreja.
"Before concluding anything, we will wait for a final opinion from the forensic experts," the officer said.

The development makes Khar police's job of investigating the murder and establishing the charges against accused Shree Jogdhankar and Diya Padalkar in court even more difficult.

During a forensic investigation at the crime scene, 20 samples had been given for analysis to the DFSL. The samples included blood, hair, nail clippings, clothes of the accused, the deceased's footwear and clothes, earrings, bracelet and rings, and accused Padalkar's ring found at the staircase of Bhagwanti Heights building.

Expert view
"DNA analysis plays an important role in the absence of witnesses. There are many cases where police have got convictions based on DNA analysis reports. Getting a conclusive report also depends on how and when the samples were taken," senior forensic expert Dr Rukmani Krishnamurthy told mid-day.

Jhanavi Kukreja's parents Nidhi and Prakash outside the Commissioner of Police's office in South Mumbai in January. File pic

She added, "While I can't comment on the specific case as I don't have exact details, generally, when foreign DNA is not found, it could mean that the victim did not get the chance to defend themselves or wasn't in a position to do so. Otherwise, in most cases, foreign DNA is always extracted from the nail clippings of the deceased."

"Police have the option of a lie detector and brain mapping test to get further leads," she said.

Crucial witness
Meanwhile, after knocking on every door at Bhagwanti Heights, the police have also found one witness who heard Kukreja's screams on the day of the incident. "He heard the screams of a girl between 1.45 am and 2.15 am, but thought that the kids are partying and it must be related to that and not something serious. We have recorded his statement as supportive to the circumstantial evidence," an officer said.

Sources also confirmed that the statement of a Hinduja Hospital doctor, who treated Padalkar's lip injury and the Sion hospital doctor who treated Jogdhankar have been recorded. The police have determined that both lied to the doctors. While Padalkar told the doctor that she fell down the stairs, Jogdhankar said he was drunk and fell on the road.

20
No. of samples collected for forensic tests from crime scene