Palghar baby’s death: Four co-passengers to be grilled

The mother (in blue) claimed a co-passenger threw her child (inset) out of the window and molested her. Pics/Hanif Patel

The MBVV Police Crime Branch, which is probing the murder of a toddler and molestation of her 19-year-old mother, said their priority is how the toddler died and who was behind it. "The biggest challenge before us to find out how exactly the baby died. We will first investigate the toddler's death and then the mother's molestation," said a senior officer from Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar police. Cops have arrested the driver in the case and have traced four of the passengers who are yet to be questioned.

As per cops, there were a total of eight occupants, including the woman, in the vehicle when the incident took place on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway on Saturday morning. Police have already arrested the driver of the car in connection with the case. "The woman was seated next to the driver, two passengers were in the middle seat while four others were in the back. We have identified four passengers but are yet to question them," the police officer added. The remaining two passengers are yet to be traced.

No clue about how toddler died

On Saturday, the woman, who boarded the vehicle at Pelhar on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway to go to Manor, told mid-day that her "10-month-old baby girl was thrown out of the running vehicle" by one of her molesters who was seated in the back. Crime Branch investigators are yet to ascertain how the baby died.

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The spot on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway where the incident took place

"The driver of the car told us that the child slipped out of the grip of her mother when he turned the vehicle, and then the woman leapt out of the running vehicle. There are no CCTV cameras in the area where the incident took place. So, we cannot believe in the theory of an accused, who is in our custody at present," said the officer.

"The personnel from Highway Safety patrol said that they did not see how the mother-daughter duo came out of the running vehicle. They saw the mother and daughter together on the road, and considering the seriousness of the matter, they were rushed to a nearby hospital," said the officer.

How she boarded the car

A source at Mandvi police station told mid-day that the parents of the toddler had a verbal fight on Saturday. "The woman had a verbal fight with her husband, who wanted to go to his village in Wada taluka on Saturday but his wife wanted him to wait for one more day. When the husband did not listen to her and left for his village on Saturday, the woman also decided to go to the village," said a police officer.

The driver of the car has been arrested

"Taking the help of a neighbour, she reached Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway and boarded the car. The woman did not have the cell phone with her. She sat next to the driver and asked for his mobile phone to inform her husband. However, she had dialled only 9 digits so the call could not go through to her husband who had already reached Mastan naka," he added.

The distance between the place where she boarded the car and the place where the toddler was allegedly thrown out of the running vehicle is not even two kilometres. "It will not even take 4 minutes to travel such a short distance on the highway. How the baby died is still a mystery, but we will solve it soon," said the officer.