Missing MBBS student case: Cops are trying to plant evidence, alleges father

The father of the 22-year-old MBBS student, who went missing from Bandra Bandstand in November 2021, has alleged that the Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 9 is planting evidence to close the case. He said that crime branch officials on Sunday approached him seeking his blood sample to check whether it matches with the blood samples they allegedly recovered from a lifebuoy, a floatation device, seized from the residence of Mithu Singh. Cops said Singh murdered the student and dumped her body. However, no hard evidence has been found yet.

The father told mid-day, "Two crime branch officers, including investigating officer Mahendra Patil, came to my residence in Boisar on Sunday. They handed me a paper, requesting my blood sample to examine whether my DNA matches with the blood stains they allegedly found from the lifebuoy. When I asked them how they managed to get blood stains 14 months after the incident, they showed me a photo. They said the ring-shaped lifebuoy was seized from Singh's terrace. My question is: will a killer keep crucial evidence at his own home without destroying it? I do not trust the investigation the cops are carrying out."

Meeth's Kitchen at Bandstand which the woman had visited on the day of her disappearance. File pic

"The cops insisted on my blood sample and asked me to go to Sir JJ Hospital for the same. While I am ready to cooperate with the investigators, I am against giving them my blood sample. I strongly suspect the cops are trying to plant evidence. There is a possibility that my blood sample could be dropped on the lifebuoy to show to the court that the DNA samples match. Hence, I am ready to give them my hair sample, which will serve the purpose for matching DNAs," he added.

The father further said, "Being a crime journalist, I am aware of how cops manipulate facts. Even in my daughter's case, they are trying to prove that my daughter is dead but they do not have a single piece of evidence to prove it yet. If what Singh confessed about dumping my daughter's body near Bandstand were true, then why have the cops not found the body yet?"

Also Read: Mumbai: Crime branch suspects rape in MBBS student kidnapping case

Speaking about the investigation, he said, "The cops did not do anything when my daughter went missing. The matter was transferred to the crime branch only after the issue was raised in the legislative council. And hence the cops are under pressure to show that the case has been solved, even if they have to manipulate evidence for the same."

A selfie of the arrested accused Mithu Singh with the victim

He also alleged despite his suspicion, cops were not interrogating the MBBS student's friend who used to pressure her to meet him during vacation. "The cops are wasting money to search the sea but they are not questioning that male friend. They also did not retrieve the WhatsApp chat history of the 15 days prior to the incident, which could give insight into what actually happened to my daughter," he said.

"I am not saying that Singh and his friend Abdul Ansari [another arrested accused] are innocent. But I think they are aware of my daughter's whereabouts," he said, adding, "I will not spare a single officer who messed up the case. I will drag them to court to seek justice for my daughter."

Sister of accused agrees

Singh's sister Parvati also expressed concerns about the investigation and said, "My brother got the lifejacket and lifebuoy as gifts three years ago and many people have used it since. Young kids from the neighbourhood would take it, use it and return it to us. The cops are saying they have found traces of blood from it, but how is that possible, especially after 14 months? They are trying to manipulate the probe."

Speaking about the day when the cops seized the lifebuoy, she said, "The cops came to our house around 8 pm on January 20. They also brought my brother and his friend. The cops turned the entire house upside down for 2.5 hours and then left with the lifejacket and ring-shaped buoy, which were kept in the washroom, around 10.30 pm."

DNA check

A senior officer from crime branch unit 9 said, "As we got a lead in the case, we need a blood sample of the father to examine if the DNA matches. However, we are not insisting on blood. If he's willing to give us his hair sample, we have no issues with it." The cops refused to divulge any other detail saying the case was under investigation. A forensic expert told mid-day, "If parts of the lifebuoy did not get directly exposed to sun or rain when it was on the terrace for months, then there is a possibility that blood may have accumulated somewhere. However, the examiner will have to check if the blood sample collected from it is petrified, if the quantity is enough." The brother of the MBBS student told mid-day that the cops have collected DNA samples from the blood stain found on the lifebuoy which now needs to be checked with his father.

Nov
Month in 2021 when the student went missing from Bandstand