Manipur teen, who left home to play football, found dead a week later

The boy, identified as Christopher Khumlo, had left the house on October 24 after informing his mother that he was going to play football with his friends but he never returned

A 17-year-old boy, who went missing on October 24, was found dead in a Mira Road creek on Saturday morning. The boy, identified as Christopher Khumlo, had left the house on October 24 after informing his mother that he was going to play football with his friends but he never returned.

The boy’s family suspect foul play in the incident. (HT photo)

The boy’s family, which hails from Manipur, as well as the North East Helpline, an NGO for the welfare of North Easterners in Mumbai, suspect foul play in the incident, while the Mira Road police claimed that the boy had consumed ganja with his friends and was performing a deadly stunt on the train tracks when was hit by a Virar-bound local train and he fell into the creek.

Christopher, a second year engineering student at Thakur College, Kandivli, resided with his father Rev Khumlo, a priset with Mira Road Church, mother Olga, a brother and a sister in Shanti Nagar in Mira Road (W). After Christopher did not return home, a case of kidnapping under Section 363 of IPC was registered with the Naya Nagar police station on October 25 against unknown people, said PI Rajesh Jadhav of Naya Nagar police station.

“We took into questioning three of his friends, who said Christopher had consumed ganja with them, and was performing a stunt in blindfolds. That’s when he was hit by a Virar bound local train. We have sent the body for post mortem to J J Hospital and the viscera to Kalina Forensic lab,” said PI Jadhav. “We have now registered a case of accidental death and transferred it to Vasai GRP,” he added.

Lalramthang Amo, president of North East helpline, said, “We are suspecting foul play as the police claims that Christopher had consumed ganja with his friends and we will have to wait for the forensic and post mortem reports. Christopher was an obedient boy and this incident has shaken the entire North Eastern community in Mumbai.”