NAVI MUMBAI — A couple staged a protest outside the Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner’s Office demanding a fresh investigation into the death of their 21-year-old son and the registration of an FIR, nearly three years after his body was found in a pond in the city.
Ayub Qureshi, the father of the deceased, told reporters that the body of his son, Parvez, was recovered from a pond near Hanuman Nagar in Turbhe on 30 October 2023. According to him, the family rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident.
He said the police recovered the body from the pond, conducted a post-mortem examination at a hospital and registered the case as an accidental death.
However, Qureshi alleged that his son had been murdered and that the post-mortem examination was not conducted properly. He claimed that the family had not been shown the report relating to the deceased’s internal organs, which, according to him, could contain evidence of injuries caused by assault.
The grieving father also alleged that the police were attempting to shield those responsible for his son’s death. He said the family had earlier submitted the names of 15 people whom they suspected could be linked to the case, but alleged that the police had not questioned them.
Qureshi further claimed that he had obtained CCTV footage from a company located near the pond. According to him, the footage showed his son, who worked as an auto-rickshaw driver, walking towards the pond. He alleged that a car arrived at the location shortly afterwards and was parked in front of the CCTV camera.
He said the family had repeatedly urged the police to register an FIR and reopen the investigation on the basis of the CCTV footage, but their requests had been rejected.
Qureshi said he and his wife would continue their protest until a fresh investigation is ordered into the circumstances surrounding their son’s death and the claim that he drowned in the pond is re-examined.
