ATHARVA SHINDE DEATH: 8 YOUTHS MAY BE BOOKED UNDER NDPS ACT

MUMBAI: The Aarey police said they are awaiting the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports of the eight youngsters who were present at the party in an Aarey bungalow, in connection with the Atharva Shinde death case.

The youngsters will be booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, if they test positive for drugs. On Saturday, HT had reported that all eight had tested positive for cannabis, which is banned under the NDPS Act. The FSL report was dispatched on Friday.

“We are likely to receive the FSL report by Monday. If the results come back positive, we will arrest the youngsters for consumption of drugs. Meanwhile, we are trying to identify the drug peddler,” said a police official.

The case is being investigated by the crime branch unit 11.

Atharva Shinde, 20, the son of a serving police inspector in Mumbai Police, had been found dead on the morning of May 9, after attending a party at a bungalow in Aarey, Goregaon (East).

The party had been organised by the daughter of a Marathi film producer. Others in attendance included five minor boys and Shinde’s girlfriend.

According to the post-mortem report, Shinde suffered injuries to his chest, head, and eyes.

A murder case was registered against an unidentified person, and nine days later, the case was transferred to the crime branch.

However, the five hours of CCTV footage that eventually came to light, led the police to suspect that the Shinde’s death may have been caused by some a reason other than murder. MUMBAI : The city recorded 1,154 vehicle thefts from January 1 to May 25, higher than 1,093 recorded during the corresponding period last year, according to the Mumbai police data.

A senior IPS officer said the western suburbs are the worst hit. “Vehicle thefts are on the rise in the western suburbs, with at least three vehicles being stolen daily,” he said.

Officers attribute it to a lot of reasons. “With no parking space, residents are forced to park cars on roads, making them easy targets,” said a crime detection officer with a suburban police station. “Also, it is easier to flee with the stolen vehicle after crossing the Dahisar check naka, as it gives the thieves direct access to National Highway No. 8.”

Police records show Maruti Swift Dzire, Mahindra Scorpio, Chevrolet Tavera and Toyota Innova top the list of stolen cars. “White and silver are the preferred colours,” said an officer, who maintains the statistics.

The increase in vehicle thefts was among the issues discussed at a recently held conference, chaired by Mumbai police commissioner DD Padsalgikar.

“A car thief just needs a screwdriver and a small socket to start the ignition. They can unlock the system in three minutes,” said a police officer, who worked with the anti-motor vehicle theft unit of the Mumbai crime branch that was disbanded in January. The disbanding of the unit, which used to focus on gangs stealing motor vehicles, has compounded the problem. Sanjay Saxena, joint commissioner of police (crime branch), denied that the unit was disbanded. “We have just merged the unit with the property cell,” said Saxena.

Sachin Patil, DCP and a Mumbai police spokesman, said, “The zonal DCPS and senior police inspectors of each police station organise nakabandis to find these vehicles. Prevention of such incidents is our priority.”

ACCORDING TO THE POSTMORTEM REPORT, SHINDE SUFFERED INJURIES ON HIS CHEST, HEAD, AND EYES