Mumbai: On 26th July, the dead body of 20-year-old Yashashri Shinde was found lying in a pool of blood on an isolated road near a petrol pump in Kotnaka of Uran taluka in Navi Mumbai. The accused in the matter has been identified as Dawood Sheikh. Yashashri was reported missing by her father on 25th July. She worked at a private company as a data entry operator. On the morning of the 25th, Yashashri left home saying she was going to a friend’s house but never returned.
On the night of 26th July, police received a call about a woman lying in a pool of blood on the road, with stray dogs nibbling on her body. Police rushed to the spot to recover the dead body. Yashashri sustained three stab injuries on her waist and back. Reports suggested that there were several injuries on her private parts, her bones were broken, and stab wounds were found on her stomach and back. Several injury marks were found on her chest as well. Her face was smashed with a rock to prevent identification.
Speaking to the media, Senior Inspector Rajendra Kote said, “While the victim girl’s parents have named a suspect, Dawood Shaikh, prima facie, we have registered a case of murder against an unidentified accused. The victim girl’s parents have alleged that Shaikh murdered their daughter as she had registered an FIR of molestation and POCSO against Shaikh in 2019, after which he was arrested by Uran police and sent to jail.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Vivek Pansare said, “The body had stab injuries and the face was disfigured as a result of dog attacks. Social media has been circulating misinformation about the case, which is not factual. We have prima facie information about the accused, and our team is working on it.”
After recovering the body, the police called the family to identify the remains. The face of the victim was smashed, and the family identified her based on the clothes and body. The dead body was shifted to the morgue. A case under Section 103 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered for murder. The police said that if rape is proven in the post-mortem, further sections will be added to the FIR.
In 2019, the victim’s father had registered an FIR against Dawood Sheikh for molesting his daughter. As she was a minor, a case under Sections 354 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 8 and 12 of POCSO was registered. Dawood was arrested and sent to jail. After his release, he went to Karnataka. The family has alleged that Dawood was in contact with Yashashri.
Reportedly, Dawood's location was tracked to Uran, and police suspect that he came from Karnataka, called Yashashri Shinde to meet, and brutally murdered her. Police teams have been sent to Karnataka to arrest him. While the 2019 FIR suggested Dawood molested Yashashri, media reports hint that it could be a case of a “love affair gone wrong.” Call records suggested that she was talking to the accused for several hours. The police said, “The girl was in touch with a boy named Dawood Shaikh from 2019. After the girl’s family found out about the boy in 2019, he left Uran and went to his hometown in Karnataka. Since then, the duo had been in touch over the phone. A few days back, he had come here. We are investigating what intentions he had when he came here.” Media reports noted that the police said the victim had a tattoo of the accused's name beneath her chest.
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