30 August,2024 10:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Faisal Tandel
The arrested suspect has been identified as Bipul Sikari
The Wadala Truck Terminus police have arrested a 39-year-old man, solving the murder case of a 12-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. The boy, who went missing in January, was found in March. After nearly five months of investigation. The police apprehended the suspect in Delhi, who had previously jumped parole from Calcutta and fled to Mumbai.
The arrested suspect has been identified as Bipul Sikari, who was taken into custody in Delhi on August 21 and brought to Mumbai. "He was produced in court and remanded to police custody until August 31. The accused has confessed to the crime. We are continuing our investigation," said Prashant Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 4.
"Given his criminal history and prior conviction, we will gather all necessary evidence to ensure the case is expedited in a fast-track court, and the accused receives the strictest punishment," Kadam added.
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On January 28, 2024, the Wadala TT police registered a kidnapping case after a 12-year-old boy went missing from the Shanti Nagar area. On March 5 the police found the decomposed dead body of the boy near a mangrove in an isolated place in Wadala. Accordingly, the police registered a murder case under Sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code. After the boy went missing, locals brought the accused to the police station but he fled and was absconding for five months.
The accused, previously resided in Delhi. However, during the investigation, it was discovered that Bipul had murdered his wife in 2012 and was convicted of the crime in West Bengal. He was imprisoned but released on parole during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bipul jumped parole and, with the help of a friend, relocated to Mumbai, where he began living in a rented place in the Wadala TT area.
"He was living next door to the boy and was known to the family. During his interrogation, he admitted to having a liking for transgender individuals and frequently visited transgender sex workers. He claimed that he had sodomized the boy, including on the day of the incident. The minor told the accused that if his mother asked, he would reveal that Bipul had sodomised him. Fearing exposure, the accused strangled the boy to death and disposed of the body in the mangroves. We will now add further charges of sodomy and sexual assault to the case," said a police officer.
After fleeing the Wadala TT police station, the accused travelled to Antop Hill and then to Sion. From there, he took a train to Kalyan, followed by an express train to Pune, and then to Delhi. From Delhi, he moved to Samba in Jammu. After spending a few days in Jammu, he visited Vaishno Devi, Haridwar, and then went to Shamli, Loni, and Bhopura in Uttar Pradesh, before finally returning to Delhi.
"He didn't use any mobile phone to ensure he remained successfully hidden and avoided getting caught by the police. He also started working in a cement unit where he was earning R200 to R300 per day," the officer added.
After the murder case was registered, the police formed eight teams that visited nine states, including Delhi, Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu.
"We primarily focused on Delhi and Jammu, as the accused had connections in these states. In Jammu, his mother resides, and in Delhi, he was working as a pimp in the red-light area. We developed sources in both areas and kept in touch with them. On August 21, a pimp who was our informer informed us that the accused had returned to the Delhi red light area. The pimp then offered him drinks, and with the help of the Delhi police, we detained and later took him into custody," said a police officer.
The Wadala TT police now suspect that the accused may have committed additional murders in the vicinity during that time. However, teams are currently investigating to gather more evidence on the matter.
The police also revealed that the accused had a serious criminal record in Kolkata and was previously a member of a gang.
