Mumbai: Two questions that helped crack MBBS student murder

Mitthu Singh, the main accused

The Mumbai Crime Branch, which was having a tough time cracking the murder case of MBBS student Sadichha Sane, nailed the main accused Mitthu Singh with two questions. A narco-analysis test was conducted on Singh in April 2022 by Unit 09 of the crime branch, but it was an in-depth analysis of the report carried out in November and December that proved crucial.

During the narco-analysis, Singh admitted that he wanted to have sex with the deceased but she refused. The other vital clue was Singh's utterance that he was with Sane until 3.45 am on November 29, 2021; the police had photographic evidence that the duo had taken a selfie at 2.35 am.

Screengrab of CCTV footage in which Sadichha Sane was seen alighting at Bandra station

The police's efforts were initially inconclusive, but when Unit 09 thoroughly analysed the report, they zeroed in on these vital clues, which helped them to collect circumstantial evidence. A senior Mumbai police officer revealed that their team found crucial witnesses in the area, which led them to believe that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the truth. During narco-analysis, the accused was asked nine questions.

Also Read: Accused sought sexual favours from MBBS student: charge sheet

Firstly, the accused assumed he was being cleared of all charges as no evidence was found in any scientific tests, cops said. However, crucial witnesses were discovered who had overheard a conversation between the accused and his cook regarding the missing woman. Singh and the other accused, Abdul Jabbar Ansari, were heard saying that they would go to jail together and they should have fun together. This conversation corroborated the narco-analysis report, where Singh had admitted that he wanted to have sex with Sane.

The second clue was related to the timings of the accused's activities. Before the narco-analysis, the crime branch had only a selfie to confirm the accused's presence with the victim until 2.35 am. However, the accused confessed that he was with her until 3.45 am. Further investigation led to the discovery of a witness who had seen the victim late at night at Bandra Bandstand, and CCTV footage showed Singh rushing towards the sea. Based on these findings, officers believe that Singh dumped Sane's body into the sea after she fell unconscious.

"There is digital evidence that he was awake till 4.30 am and sent a friend request to the deceased and dialled her number 11 times," an officer said. The narco-analysis has been included in the charge sheet as corroborative evidence to support the circumstances of the case.