Father recalls incident

The deceased, a Std VI student resided at Shanti Nagar in Wadala with his parents. His father, Bechay Yadav, sells fish at the local market. “On January 28, I was working while my wife was at home. Sandeep told his mother that he was going out with the ‘neighbour uncle’ [the accused]. It was around 8.20 pm when he left home. I returned at around 11 pm and after searching for the boy for hours, we approached the Wadala TT police and filed a case,” said Yadav.

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The 12-year-old’s parents

The cops registered a case under Section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code. “Sikari was staying in our neighbour’s house from more than two months. The locals caught hold of him and brought him to the police station. But he fled,” said Yadav.

After 35 days, on the evening of March 4, the family received a call from the police informing them about the headless body. “The body was found around 100 metres away from Daya Shankar Chowk. We identified him from his T-shirt and chappals. On Tuesday evening, the head was found. The body is at KEM hospital. But we will not accept it until the accused is arrested and action is taken against the police officer who messed up,” added Yadav. On February 2, the family wrote a letter to Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, informing him about their plight and the police’s mistake.

The investigation

Prashant Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4, told mid-day, “We have added IPC Sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 201 (destroying evidence). Our teams have been in search of the accused for more than a month and will arrest him soon.”

What happened that night

According to the police, the accused, at 7 pm, took a taxi from the Shanti Nagar area to Sewri railway station. “He then met a transgender there and returned to the locality. He then met Sandeep and the two travelled by taxi to the Sewri Phatak area. He made Sandeep stand near a sugarcane juice shop and went to meet the transgender, who is a sex worker. Later, he and the boy walked to an HP petroleum pump and caught a taxi from there. They went to an isolated spot near Daya Shankar Chowk. As per CCTV footage, they then went missing from the spot for more than two hours. Later, the accused was seen walking towards Shanti Nagar,” said a police officer.

Bipul Sikari, the alleged killer

Sources said Sikari then went to a public toilet. Locals, who found him suspicious, caught hold of him and informed the police. The accused was then assaulted and taken to Wadala TT police station. Sikari had been caught stealing a week prior to the incident and received stitches after being beaten for his actions. After he was brought to the station, he commenced tearing at these stitches and began bleeding profusely. The officer on duty, Police Sub Inspector Warang Ghuse, asked Sikari to wash his hands and face. But he ran away. The police have initiated an inquiry against Ghuse for negligence. An assistant commissioner of police has started the inquiry.

The manhunt

The Wadala TT police’s teams have reached West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir but as the accused is not using a mobile phone, it is difficult to trace him. “He is quick and not staying still. Our teams have been hunting him down for more than a month,” an officer said. Meanwhile, the police also interrogated the friend of the accused and the transgender whom he used to visit.

Accused’s profile

As per the police, Sikari was arrested for killing his wife in West Bengal. “During the preliminary investigation, we found that he had jumped parole to get to Mumbai. He lived at a friend’s place in Wadala. Later, he rented a room near Shanti Nagar near the Yadavs’ residence. He was a petty thief and was beaten for stealing,” said a police officer.