Mumbai cop’s son’s death: Case transferred to crime branch, party witnesses to be quizzed again

Atharva Shinde’s father had expressed dissatisfaction with the way the Aarey police was investigating the case

Unit 11 of the crime branch will re-record statements of all youngsters who were present at a party in Goregaon (East), after which Atharva Shinde, 20, son of an inspector with police’s economic offences wing (EOW), was found dead.

According to the police, Shinde left from his home in Kandivli for the party at a bungalow in Royal Palms in Aarey Colony on May 7. His father, Narendra, found his body near another bungalow, about half-a-kilometre away from the party venue, on May 9.

With no headway in the case, Atharva’s father Narendra wrote to commissioner Datta Padsalgikar, who then transferred the case to unit 11, even though the incident happened in the jurisdiction of unit 12.

“The Aarey police handed us all case papers on Friday. We are examining them,” said a crime branch officer. “We will start the probe from scratch. We will again question all youngsters who were at the party.”

The police said Shinde partied all night with his girlfriend and left the bungalow on the morning of May 8. While she returned to the bungalow, Shinde, who was drunk, lost his way, said police. As the body had injury marks on head, chest and eyes, the Aarey police registered a case of murder. Shinde’s girlfriend, who was admitted to a hospital with multiple drugs found in her body, too, was questioned.