The Mumbai police claimed to have detected the serial murders and rape of minors in Kurla’s Nehru Nagar area, when they arrested 19-year-old Javed Rehman Shaikh. However, since Javed’s DNA matched with the evidence of only the third victim Nusrat Shaikh, the police suspected that there were more accused involved in the crime.
Subsequently, in a late breakthrough, the police detained two more suspects Wazak Khan and Mohammad Shaikh. The duo worked with Javed at a cable and Internet services firm in Kurla. Investigators suspect that they may be collectively involved in the incident.
Further, debunking earlier reports that the rapist might be a psychopath or even a paedo-necrophile, police commissioner Sanjeev Dayal said that Javed showed no sings of such abnormalities.
“Javed is neither psychotic nor a necrophile,” Mr Dayal said. According to the DNA reports, traces of the arrested accused’s blood were reportedly found under Nusrat’s nails. However, the police clarified that the accused’s DNA did not match the first two cases. “Javed has been arrested in connection with the killing of Nusrat, whose decomposed body was recovered on June 25. Javed’s DNA did not match the DNA of first two victims,” Mr Dayal said. Javed, a resident of Kasaiwada in Nehru Nagar was produced before the Vikhroli magistrate’s court and has been remanded to 14 days of police custody.
Meanwhile, chief minister Ashok Chavan also made it clear that the arrested man is conclusively linked only to the murder of Nusrat. Explaining how the police zeroed in on Javed, Mr Dayal said, “As part of the investigation, we were questioning people whose work gave them access to other people’s houses, including employees of cable operators and Internet service providers. Javed’s DNA samples were taken on June 23 as part of the check and after we received a verbal confirmation from the forensic sciences laboratory on Wednesday. Javed works for an Internet service provider.” The police had sent over 100 samples of blood for DNA examination to the state run Forensic Science Laboratory in Kalina, of which Javed’s samples matched.
However, the arrest has created a bit of trouble in Kasaiwada. His family members and some neighbours said that the police had been under tremendous pressure with the Nehru Nagar killings and so, implicated Javed.