Mumbai: BMC to remove cars junked at Antop Hill

Muskan Begum Shaikh, 5, and Sajid Shaikh, 7

Following the death of two siblings who got trapped in an abandoned car in the Antop Hill area, the BMC has decided to conduct a survey and remove such vehicles from the area. Civic officials said they would make a list of these abandoned vehicles which would be scrapped if no one comes forward with a claim.

There are several abandoned vehicles in CGS Colony and other parts of Antop Hill. On April 24, the bodies of Muskan Begum Shaikh, 5, and Sajid Shaikh, 7 were found in an abandoned car near their home in CGS Colony. The Antop Hill police said they got trapped in the vehicle and suffocated to death.

"We are in talks with the police and the traffic department to remove abandoned cars from the area. After conducting the survey we will trace the vehicle owners and if they don't claim the cars, we will eventually scrap them," a BMC official said, adding that it's premature to say how long it would take to complete the procedure, but all abandoned cars will be removed.

According to local residents, the cars have been there for over a decade. "The cars have been here for quite a long time… over a decade perhaps. People come here, park and forget about their vehicles," said a local.

In the meantime, the BMC plans to remove the cars abandoned near the home of the deceased children. "Our children suffocated to death after going into the car. The door got locked and they couldn't come out. The police had to break open the door. We don't want the car here… the sight of it will haunt us forever. We don't want to live in this area. The BMC told us they would remove the cars. I hope this is done soon," said Mohammad Shaikh, the siblings' father.

Samadhan Pawar, DCP, central zone (traffic), told mid-day, "We have started the identification process of the junked vehicles in the locality. The vehicles will be removed once the process is complete. Depending on the vehicle's condition, we will decide whether to auction it or scrap it."

The Antop Hill police are currently awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of death of the siblings. "We are awaiting the post-mortem report as Sion hospital has reserved the cause of death. We have identified the vehicle owner and further investigations are underway," said Prashant Kadam, DCP (Zone 4).
The Antop Hill police initially registered a kidnapping case which was later changed to an accidental death report.

April 24
Day of the incident