Mumbai The investigation into the gruesome murder of a 15-year-old girl, whose body was found stuffed in a bag near Naigaon railway station on Friday, has zeroed in on two men who have been missing since the day of the girl’s disappearance, police officials said.
The victim, Vanshita Rathod, had left home for school early Thursday morning, but she never reached. Her parents registered a case of kidnapping with the Andheri police station on Thursday evening and on Friday afternoon, her body was found in a duffel bag abandoned near the East-West Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at the Naigaon railway station in Vasai.
The girl’s body had stab wounds in her abdomen and the bag also had a towel and a few clothes, as well as a school uniform belonging to a school in Andheri.
According to the Waliv police, the two main suspects in the case include Santosh Makwana, a 21-year-old man from Bandra (east), who was reportedly in a relationship with the girl. The police also suspect the man’s friend, who was also known to Vanshita.
The Andheri police, who were investigating the case before the body was found, had already zeroed in on Makwana, who is an employee with a catering firm in Mumbai.
“We identified Makwana and visited his house on Friday morning. His parents told us that he had not been home since he left on Thursday morning and they, too, had registered a missing persons complaint with the Nirmal Nagar police. We had obtained the relevant information from the Nirmal Nagar police about this,” an officer with the Andheri police station said.
The Andheri police turned over the investigation to the Waliv police, which is probing the young girl’s murder. The Waliv police subsequently identified a second suspect who was in touch with both Makwana and Vanshita, and has also been missing since Thursday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjaykumar Patil, Zone II, Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar police, confirmed that Makwana was one of the suspects being looked into but declined to comment further.
So far, the police know that Vanshita had left her residence alone and met the suspects somewhere between Andheri and Vasai.
“The victim left in her school uniform but was in different clothes when her body was found. Her uniform was also in the same bag. Based on this, we believe that she had stopped somewhere along the way for a fair period of time and pinpointing this location is our priority. It is highly likely that the murder was also committed at this same location, as the body was clearly moved post mortem and abandoned at the spot where it was found,” said an officer with the Waliv police station.
Meanwhile, a pall of gloom hung over the New Municipal Colony in Andheri (east), where Vanshita used to stay with her family. A bulletin board put up in the locality bore a sombre announcement about Vanshita’s death, expressing condolences to her family.
“I am shattered and don’t know what to say. I just need to know what happened to my daughter,” Vanshita’s father, Kanhaiyalal Rathod, said.