Mumbai: 22-year-old found dead at Vasai beach as niece fights cancer

Before Dhiraj Kumar's body was found, he was last seen on September 17 at Tata Memorial Hospital, where his niece is undergoing cancer therapy

Days after coming to Mumbai for his 2-year-old niece's cancer treatment, a youth from Jharkhand was found dead at Suruchi beach, Vasai. The deceased man, Dhiraj Kumar, 22, had arrived in Mumbai with his family on September 14, when his niece was admitted at Tata Memorial Hospital. While the family had rented a house in Wadala for the duration of the treatment, at least one of them was always at the hospital to accompany the little girl.

On September 17, Dhiraj left the hospital, telling his mother that he would be back after having lunch at home. He never returned. With no news of him till late evening, his mother Meena Devi informed her husband and elder son, who first searched for him and then registered a missing complaint with the Bhoiwada police. The family revealed that Dhiraj had left his mobile phone behind in the hospital, and his wallet at home.

The police started investigating and sent his photo to the various police stations in the city. Yesterday, a week after his disappearance, the Vasai police found a decomposed male body. Family members identified Dhiraj's body. He worked in the family business and helped run their stores in Jharkhand.

Dhiraj Kumar

Expert speak
"The body was found in decomposed condition, even the internal organs were decomposed. It is estimated that the death occurred four to five days ago. The preliminary report cites drowning as the cause of death. It looks like a suicide case, if one considers the case history relayed by the police," said Dr Fauzia Khan from Vasai Elementary Health Centre, who performed the post-mortem. "Based on the report, we registered an ADR and transferred the case to the Bhoiwada police for further investigation," said an officer from Vasai Gaon police station.

Family suspicious
Dhiraj's cousin, Vinay Kumar Saha, has his doubts about the suicide theory. This was Dhiraj's second trip to Mumbai; he had also come here in July for his niece's check-up. "After returning home from Mumbai, he was very disturbed. He did not want to go back [to Mumbai] but would not say why. As far as I am concerned, this is a murder case, not suicide. Surely something happened to him. The police should get to the bottom of this," said Saha.

Also Read: Kin trace missing youth's body from Vasai beach after cops fail to act

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