Uran murder victim's partiarch says, ‘No father should see his child in such a state’

The accused had been booked for molesting the victim in 2019. Representation pic

Even as the heartbroken father has demanded stringent punishment for the youth suspected to have brutally murdered his 20-year-old daughter, the Navi Mumbai police have formed different teams to nab the suspect. The body of the young working woman from Uran was found at an isolated spot near Uran railway station.

The father of the girl who has been traumatised by the incident said, "We appeal to the state government and the Navi Mumbai police to trace the accused as soon as possible and arrest him. Also, strict action should be taken against him so that he is punished for the heinous crime he has committed. As a father, I appeal to the government to impose stringent sections against the accused so that no other person takes the extreme step of killing a girl. No father should see his girl in such a state," said the father.

Cops in Karnataka

The Uran police and Navi Mumbai Crime Branch team are already in Karnataka, to locate the suspect in his hometown. However, sources claimed the suspect has fled his hometown as well and efforts to trace him are underway. The police hope to unravel the mystery of the murder once the accused is arrested.

Meanwhile, after news of the girl's body being found in an isolated spot went viral on social media, relatives, friends, and many others raised questions about the brutal murder and demanded action by trending #justice for the girl. In light of the religious angle to the case, many political leaders and organisations have also become involved, meeting with the parents and demanding the arrest of the accused and strict action against him to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

Missing on July 25

According to the police, the father of the girl, a 44-year-old man works on a contract basis at an Uran-based well known company. His family comprises his wife, two daughters and son. "On July 25, he returned from work as usual and asked for his daughter. His wife told him that she had taken leave from work that day and had left at 10.30 am to meet a friend. When he called her mobile phone it was switched off. After no response till 8 am, he approached the police to register a missing person's report. However, on July 27, around 2.20 am the Uran police took him to an isolated spot near Uran railway station, where he identified the body of his daughter. The face was completely damaged and there were stab injuries on the body," said the police officer.

Molestation case

The police registered a case at Uran police station under section of the Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita 2023 and started the investigation. "During the investigation, it came to light that the girl's father had registered a case against one Dawood Shaikh in September 2019 for molesting his daughter who was then a minor. The FIR claimed the girl was 15 years old and the suspect took the minor to a garden and molested her. The suspect had been humiliated and assaulted by the girl's father in public," said a police source.

With this clue, the Navi Mumbai police including the Uran and Navi Mumbai crime branch started a search operation to trace the suspect. "During the primary investigation it was learned that the suspect hails from Karnataka and had fled to his hometown. However, a police team had already reached his hometown but couldn't find him. The police team inquired about the accused with his parents who claimed he had left home and hadn't returned. Hence, the team in Karnataka with the help of technical details and sources are trying to trace the accused," said a police officer.

Motive unknown

Sources from the police said that after seeing the technical details and other evidence it had been found that the girl and the accused were in contact and were frequently talking on phone for hours. "Recently on July 25, he returned from Karnataka to meet the girl in Navi Mumbai and later he committed the crime. But one point is unclear as even after being in a relationship and having long hours of conversation on phone, why did the accused take the extreme step to kill the girl, whether it was to take revenge on the girl's father or the girl was not ready for marriage or is there any other reason that would be clear once the accused is arrested," said a police officer.

However, after the news of the girl being brutally killed went viral many local leaders took up the issue demanding justice for the girl. Former MP and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya also visited the family of the deceased girl to know the story and demand strict action from the police to arrest the accused.

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Age in years of the victim