Mumbai: Month after son’s death, petrol pump worker runs pillar to post for answers

Siddhant Singh went missing on July 15. Pic/Nimesh Dave

A bereaved father has been running pillar to post seeking justice in the death of his only son. Mahendra Singh, 47, claimed there has been no headway in the investigation since July and that his son's mobile phone, which could serve as evidence, has been returned by the police. On the other hand, Goregaon police and the Kalyan GRP appear to have contradictory information on the probe.

Singh's 17-year-old son Siddhant went missing from Goregaon on July 15. His body was found between Ambernath and Badlapur on July 17. "I work at a petrol pump as a cashier in Andheri. My son would stay alone at home in Goregaon but he would often visit the petrol pump to meet me. On July 15, I tried to call my son but his cellphone was switched off. After waiting for a while, I went home only to find the door locked," said Singh. He enquired about his son's whereabouts in the neighbourhood but could not find any information.

Singh immediately approached the Goregaon police to register a missing complaint. "The police suggested that I wait at least for a day and I agreed," Singh said. "On July 16, I visited the police again and this time an FIR under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered. The police randomly told me that the location of my son's mobile shows that he is in Punjab," Singh added.

Singh contacted a relative who is in the police in Uttar Pradesh. "My relative told me that my son's mobile's location is showing to be somewhere in Kalyan. So I visited Goregaon police again and told them to recheck Siddhant's mobile tower location," Singh said.

The Goregaon police conducted searches in Kalyan on July 17 and 18. "They did not search any local police station or GRP or hospital on July 17," Singh claimed. Meanwhile, the Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP) recovered a body from the railway track at 9 am on July 17. On July 19, Singh's relative from Uttar Pradesh informed him about it. "So, I visited Kalyan GRP and identified the body. He was my son and his head was smashed," Singh said.

‘SIM card changed'

Singh was given the mobile phone found with Siddhant by Kalayan GRP. "The mobile is locked. His number is unreachable, but his mobile phone rings. This means that the SIM card has been changed," Singh said. "Why did my son go to Kalyan? Who changed his SIM and why? Why is the police not probing this?"

He added, "Mobile phones can play a crucial role in police investigations. I have been running from Goregaon police to Kalyan GRP to solve this mystery but there is no headway." Singh has also learned that three to four people would visit Siddhant when he was not home. "These people would stay at our home till late at night. My son was not in touch with his friends either as he wanted to spend time with these people."

Lack of clarity on probe

The senior inspector of Goregaon police, Dattatray Thopte, told mid-day, "The Kalyan GRP is conducting the probe into the accidental death. I will call the father of the deceased on Saturday to take stock of the situation." Even as Thopte said that the probe is being conducted by Kalyan GRP, Singh appears to have contradictory information. He said, "I have been told by the Kalyan GRP that all files related to Siddhant's case have been handed over to Goregaon police. My son died under mysterious circumstances. It was not an accidental death. I would request the police to probe the case thoroughly."

The in-charge of Kalyan GRP, Assistant Police Inspector Mukesh Dhage, said, "We had registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). All case files related to Singh have been handed over to Goregaon police for further investigation. We have handed over the belongings including the phone to the deceased's family."