Mumbai: Brother succumbs to injuries in family feud, Malad man still at large

The scene of crime, Marcus House, at Evershine Nagar in Malad West

Damian D'Sa, a victim of his brother Drayson's assault in Malad's Evershine Nagar on December 29, passed away at Oscar hospital in Goregaon on Tuesday afternoon. Drayson had attacked his wife Chitra and Damian in their home in Malad. The cops found Chitra in a pool of blood, she had already passed away due to multiple injuries and Damian was found unconscious with injuries, he was moved to a hospital. Drayson still remains at large, evading arrest four days since the horrifying incident.

The Bangur Nagar police have deployed five teams to locate the fugitive. Four teams are searching the city, while an additional is searching in Goa due to the family's ties to the region. Despite the involvement of the Mumbai Crime Branch, none of the teams have found any leads on Drayson's whereabouts.

Drayson D'Sa the accused; Damian D'Sa, brother; Chitra D'Sa, wife

The CCTV cameras surrounding Drayson's residence, allegedly controlled by him via his mobile phone, played a crucial role. Drayson, leaving two mobile phones behind, took only the device with access to the CCTV system and rebooted the camera system, creating an 8 to 10-minute window to escape.

It's suspected that Drayson, familiar with camera locations, strategically chose routes which were not under surveillance for his escape. However, some potentially tracking cameras were closed or non-functional, complicating the search.

A police officer from Bangur Nagar station revealed a property dispute may have fuelled the tragedy. "They disagreed on the bungalow's sale price. Damian sought a lower amount, while Drayson demanded more."

The dispute escalated, with Drayson labelling purchased items like tables, chairs and sofas, claiming ownership and forbidding Damian from using them. Threats and confrontations were also made, with Drayson even wielding a baseball bat.

"The same bat was found by the police in Drayson's cupboard, wrapped in clothes," shared Umesh Lokhande, Chitra's brother.

Lokhande, told mid-day, "Drayson and Chitra married in December 2022. Their child was born in Pune on November 16, 2023. Drayson brought Chitra to Malad to celebrate Christmas and their marriage anniversary, followed by a dinner outing."

He described Drayson as short-tempered, frequently engaging in arguments and teasing, particularly with Damian, unsettling Chitra.

Dr Nitin Pawar of Oscar Hospital said. "He experienced a cardiac arrest during a dialysis session. He was in a critical condition due to severe head and brain injuries, leading to his demise at approximately 11.45 am on Tuesday."

Incident details

The incident occurred between 9.30 am and 12.30 pm on Friday. Drayson, 40, engaged in repeated disputes with his brother Damian, 43, over their shared house's sale. In a heated altercation, Drayson attacked Damian with a baseball bat and a vase. Chitra, 35, intervened but fell victim to Drayson's assault with the vase, succumbing to her injuries.