Rameez's body to be exhumed this week

Officers of the Versova police station who are investigating the Versova siblings death case have obtained permission from the collector to exhume the body of Rameez Chougle.

Missed dearly: Rameez (inset) and his sister lived at Panch Dhara building at Yari Road, Versova. File pic

The siblings Rameez and Rehab had died mysteriously within 24 hours of each other on July 3, after pest control was conducted in their apartment. Cops revealed that they expect to exhume Rameez's body this week.

A source from Versova police station said that they have been facing opposition to the exhumation from committee members of the Versova Kokni Sunni Jamat Trust, which is in charge of the burial ground where Rameez's body lies. The objection was made on religious grounds.

The officer however said that the police are sure that they will successfully negotiate with the committee members and exhume the body, as the case is an important one. Permission from the higher authority of the collector will also work in favour of cops.

Forensic analysis of Rameez's sister Rehab Chougle's stomach wash have already revealed that she died from pesticide poisoning. However, no post mortem was conducted on Rameez's body, and an expert panel has recommended that his body be exhumed to establish if he too died of pesticide poisoning.

Salim, the exterminator who sprayed the Chougle home before the deaths, is still on the run. The presence of excessive amounts of Aluminium Phosphide - a poisonous compound widely used in pesticides - in Rehab's system had suggested poisoning.

Suburban collector Sanjay Deshmukh said, "We have given permission to the police to exhume the body of Rameez Chougle."u00a0