Two years after cops closed case saying 14-year-old was run over by train, dad quits job in Dubai, moves to Mumbai and finds that son was killed over his new cellphone
Shabbir Khan submitted a letter with his evidence to the Vasai Road GRP in August 2017
It took just a couple of days for the railway police to decide that 14-year-old Mohammed Khan had died in an accident, that a train ran him over while he was taking selfies on the track. But, it took two whole years for his father, Shabbir Khan, 47, to prove that the teenager had been murdered in cold blood by a bunch of kids who wanted his new phone.
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It cost Shabbir two years of his life and his job — he had quit so he could investigate what had happened to his son — but he has finally got justice by bringing his son's killers to book. The Vasai Road Government Railway Police (GRP) is expected to charge four minors for the 2016 murder, after Shabbir managed to prove that they had pushed his son before a speeding train. Three of the boys are 15 years old, and the fourth is 16.
Mohammed with his mother and sisters, not too long before his death in 2016
The case
Shabbir, his son Mohammed, wife and two daughters lived at Pooja Nagar, Mira Road. On the evening of November 4, 2016, Mohammed left home to play with his friend at the nearby tracks, but never returned. His family questioned the friend, who said that both he and Mohammed had returned an hour later. The next day, the family registered a missing complaint with the police, and learnt that Mohammed had died in a train mishap. A couple of days later, the Vasai Road GRP concluded that after returning with his friend, Mohammed had gone back to the tracks to click selfies, but was hit by a running train.
He always knew
"Somehow my heart never believed this theory, so I decided to find out what actually happened," said the father. Shabbir, a driver by profession, left his job a month later and started sleuthing. "When I checked the CCTV footage of the building, surprisingly, I saw Mohammed's friend returning alone around 5.40 pm," said Shabbir, adding, "This was the first clue that he was hiding something. When I tried to have a word with him again, he started crying unconsolably. His parents told me that he was in trauma from losing his dear friend."
He doggedly pursued the friend for a couple of months, until he revealed that he had witnessed Mohammed's death. And that it was no accident. He named some boys who were notorious druggies who bullied the local kids. Mohammed had complained about them earlier, but Shabbir had dismissed it as "regular fights between kids".
"I spoke to the other kids, but they each had a different version of the incident. I sensed there was something off, and recorded all the conversations I had with them. If one boy said Mohammed was standing on the Up tracks, another would say he was standing on the Down tracks. Also, according to the police, the cell phone I had given to Mohammad on his birthday was on even after the incident. Had it been with him when he was hit by the train, the phone would have switched off immediately," said Shabbir.
Cops confirm his findings
After investigating the case on his own for eight months, he submitted a letter with all his questions and evidence to the Railway Commissioner in August 2017. The police conducted an inquiry and found that a scuffle between the suspects and Mohammed had resulted in his death. "When Mohammed went to tracks with his friend, he was confronted by four boys who had been troubling him for some time. On the fateful day, one of the boys demanded that Mohammed give them his new cell phone. When he refused, the boys tried to rough him up. They also took his birthday money from his pocket, and when he resisted further, they pushed him on the tracks, in front of the approaching train," said a GRP officer. Now, more than a year later, the Vasai Road GRP have finally begun the process to book the culprits. "I have waited two years for this. I know this will not bring my son back, but we need justice for him," said Shabbir.
Copspeak
"We are investigating the matter. We can't divulge any information as of now, since minors are involved," said Vilas Chougule, senior inspector of Vasai Road GRP station. Sources from the police station said that Shabbir's detailed statement was recorded yesterday. They are now waiting for the assistant commissioner of police's permission to book the minors for murder. The ACP is currently on leave.
Also Read: Arrest of 28-yr-old sees Mumbai police solve senior citizen's murder within 24 hrs
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