Mumbai: Court denies bail to accused in murder case, cites victim's body is yet to be found

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A court in Mumbai has denied bail to an accused in the 2021 murder of a student, citing that a police investigation was still underway to recover the victim's body, reported news agency PTI.

Additional sessions judge Priya Bankar on October 3 denied bail to Abdul Ansari who was arrested under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code for murder and destruction of evidence, reported PTI.

The police arrested Ansari, along with the main accused Mithu Singh, in connection with the student's death, reported PTI.

According to the police, the victim was travelling on a train to appear for an exam on November 29, 2021, but she instead alighted at Bandra railway station.

She did not appear for the examination and was last seen in the Bandra Bandstand area, they said.

When the woman did not return home and could not be contacted on her mobile phone, her parents reported her missing at the concerned police station, reported PTI.

A probe revealed that the victim was seen at Bandra Bandstand, where she met Singh and clicked a selfie with him, the police said, reported PTI.

Investigations revealed that there were telephonic conversations between Singh and Ansari, where the latter used some objectionable language and asked Singh to have fun with the woman, it said, reported PTI.

The police have alleged that Ansari knew why Singh took the victim to the area, and investigations have revealed that he knew about the murder Singh had committed and how he disposed of the body, reported PTI.

Additional public prosecutor Ashwini Raykar opposed Ansari's bail plea, claiming that the witnesses in the case were his coworkers and were known to him.

Hence, there is a possibility that if Ansari is released on bail, he will pressurise and threaten prosecution witnesses, she added.

Ansari, however, stated that the allegations indicate Singh's involvement in the crime, reported PTI.

There is nothing on record to show that Ansari helped in the disposal of the victim's body, his lawyer Harshman Chavan argued, reported PTI.

The court, after hearing both sides, noted that the fact that an investigation is still going on for the recovery of the woman's body cannot be ignored, reported PTI.

"The allegations show the accused knows how the dead body was disposed of. So, looking at the same, the apprehension of the prosecution in this regard is not baseless," it said.

The court said that the allegations against the accused were "serious in nature" and after a detailed investigation into the crime, the police arrested them, reported PTI.

"There is prima facie evidence about the involvement of the accused in the crime. Further, the apprehension of the prosecution that the accused will tamper with its witnesses and evidence also cannot be ruled out," the court said while rejecting the bail plea, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)