Body found on Mumbai tracks: It’s not murder, he fell off local train, say police

Family suspected foul play after staff of restaurant where he went drinking said he had got into a verbal spat with friends.

The post-mortem report of a 22-year-old man, whose body was found on the railway tracks at Kurla – two days after he went missing – has revealed that he died after falling off the train. Although the Kurla Government Railway Police (GRP) had registered a case of accidental death on May 15, they are investigating it as a murder.

Mithun Takke, who worked in a call centre, was a resident of Kandivli but had moved to Navi Mumbai, a month ago. (HT photo)

According to GRP officers, Mithun Takke was missing since the evening of May 13 and was found dead on the railway tracks at Kurla station in mysterious conditions on May 15. Mahesh Balwantrao, senior police inspector of Kurla GRP said that they had been waiting for the post mortem report to find out the nature of the injury marks on his body as his family had alleged foul play.

“His rib cage was broken due to the fall, which led to his death. The deceased was also in an inebriated state,” Balwantrao said. The GRP officers said that at 9pm on May 15, they got a call from the station master about a body lying on the tracks. The police then sent the body for post-mortem to Rajawadi Hospital and registered a case of accidental death of an unidentified man as they had not found any identity proof on the body.

Takke, who worked in a call centre, was a resident of Kandivli but had moved to Navi Mumbai, a month ago.

“On the evening of May 13, Takke had gone with his friends to a restaurant in Dombivli, where he consumed alcohol,” a family friend said. Balwantrao said he had called up his brother from a friend’s phone and informed him that he would be late.

“When the family questioned his friends, they said that Takke had already left for home. The restaurant staff said that he was drunk and had gotten into a verbal spat with his friends. So his family suspects foul play,” he added. Balwantrao said that they will question those friends, who were with him at the restaurant.