A three-year-old boy was found murdered inside the lavatory of the Kushinagar Express at Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in the early hours of Saturday. The gruesome discovery was made by conservancy workers during routine cleaning after the train arrived at the platform around 1 am. The child’s body was stuffed inside a dustbin.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) were alerted immediately. The body was shifted for post-mortem, which revealed the child’s throat had been slit. Forensic experts were called to collect evidence, and photographs of the victim were circulated to police stations to establish his identity.
Missing Complaint Filed in Surat
The boy was identified as Akash alias Aarav Shah, reported missing from Surat on August 21. His mother, Durgavati, had lodged a kidnapping complaint against her nephew, 26-year-old Vikas Kumar Shah, who has been absconding since the incident.
According to the FIR filed by Gujarat’s Amroli police, Akash lived with his mother and two siblings in Surat, while his father works as a labourer in the Middle East. About a week ago, Durgavati’s sister Rabdi arrived from Bihar with her children, including Vikas.
CCTV Footage Shows Suspect at Surat Station
On August 21, Durgavati left Akash at home with Rabdi while she took her other children to school. When she returned, Akash and Vikas were missing. Rabdi allegedly told her that Vikas had taken the child out to play. CCTV footage later showed the two at Surat railway station before heading towards Dadar and Thane.
Police are now investigating where the murder occurred and how the body ended up on the train. The motive remains unclear, though Vikas is reportedly unemployed. Teams from Gujarat and Mumbai GRP are conducting joint searches.