Bhuj Express murder: GRP got the wrong man!

The GRP caught Mullah because he looked like the suspect (in checked shirt on left) spotted boarding the train at Borivli station

The Mumbai Central GRP thought they had solved the gory murder of a 40-year-woman aboard the Bhuj Express in nine days, but it took them nearly two months to figure out they had got the wrong man.

Thanks to their mistake, Noorealam Mullah, a 42-year-old homeless man, spent over a month behind bars, only because he 'looked like the prime suspect' captured in CCTV footage. Last week, he was finally released when his blood didn't match samples from the crime scene.

On December 7, Dariyabai Shankarlalji Lachheta 40, was found brutally murdered in the ladies compartment of Bhuj Express. A cleaner had found her lying in a pool of blood, and the Government Railway Police (GRP) recovered a red checked shirt and a cap from near the body.

Noorealam Mullah's blood did not match the samples from the crime scene

Five days later, the GRP picked up Noorealam Mullah, a homeless addict, from his usual haunt on the footpaths near Mahim dargah, and arrested him soon after. They nabbed him because he looked like the prime suspect - a man caught by CCTV cameras at Borivli station, boarding the train in the same red checked shirt and cap from the crime scene. When cops picked Mullah up, they found a knife on him and spotted a fresh cut on his body. They suspected he may have attacked the victim with a knife and suffered the injury when she retaliated. Soon after they arrested him, the cops collected blood, nail and hair samples and sent them for forensic analysis.

However, Mullah remained incarcerated for more than a month before cops realised that his blood did not match the blood found on the checked shirt from the train compartment. The cops finally discharged him in the case due to the lack of evidence, but have booked him for carrying a weapon.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (GRP) Purshottam Karad said, "We had to clear him of murder charges since he is innocent, but have booked him in another case for possession of a knife." The GRP submitted the forensic report in court under CrPC 169 (release of accused when evidence is deficient). The court accepted the submission and discharged Mullah from the murder case.

Investigation
The GRP is now back to square one, with no clue on the identity of the murderer. Earlier, a large task force of more than 100 cops had been selected from 17 GRP police stations to find the culprit, under the supervision of 40 Crime Branch officers. The search for the accused will now have to start afresh.

Also read: Bhuj Express murder: Look alike of prime suspect held

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates