Mumbai: Crime Branch takes help of forensic experts to identify body of dead woman

Image prepared by forensic team

Crime Branch unit 6 is leaving no stone unturned to identify a woman whose body was found 10 months ago in a decomposed state. As no leads materialised, the officers took help from forensic experts at KEM Hospital and released a superimposed image of the woman, urging citizens to come forward in case they find the images familiar.

The body was found on August 22, last year inside a plastic bag from a nullah near Zakir Hussain Nagar in Mankhurd. Post-mortem report showed that she was aged around 17 to 21 years and died of strangulation. Following this, Mankhurd police filed a case under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) against unknown persons.

Unit 6 of the Crime Branch also launched a parallel probe to establish the identity of the woman but didn't manage to do so. "We checked CCTV footage from 1-km radius of the spot but found nothing," said a crime branch officer. The only distinct thing on the body was an anklet with the letters B and S, but cops found that the company mass produced the product, making the traceability difficult.

Since the body was decomposed, facial recognition was not possible. "We finally reached out to KEM Hospital and met the forensic team. They worked extensively and created the face of the deceased woman using superimposition technique," said Ravindra Salunkhe, in-charge inspector of Unit 6, Crime Branch. "We are urging citizens to reach out to us if they have any clue about this woman, so that killers can be traced," he added.

22 Aug
Day in 2021 when the body was found