Mumbai: 

Brutal: Neeraj Grover was allegedly killed in Maria Susairaj's (below) Malad home by her boyfriend Jerome Matthew on May 7

DNA samples of the accused, particularly in murders, have often made or broken cases. That's why it's odd that in the brutal Neeraj Grover murder case, the police have not taken the crucial DNA samples of accused Maria Susairaj and her boyfriend Jerome Matthew.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deven Bharti defended their decision saying, "The DNA sample of the accused was never asked for, as it is an open-and-shut case for the prosecution. We are quite confident that the evidence (scientific/circumstantial) gathered in the case against both the accused would be enough to establish their role in the killing and subsequent act of disposing the evidence in the court."

Witnesses

The police have made categorical references to the evidence gathered against Maria and Jerome in the charge
sheet.

Apart from Maria's confession, recorded by the magistrate, wherein she has named Jerome as the killer, the police also have independent witnesses who have identified the couple. They include Maria's building watchman, a petrol pump attendant, a salesman at Hypercity mall, Maria's neighbour Mayuri who had been introduced to Grover and the painter who was called by Maria to whitewash her flat.

Also, mobile tower records, which established that the couple had crossed Dahisar on their way to destroy Neeraj's body are with the police. 

Blood samples

While both Jerome and Maria cleaned the scene of crime, forensic scientists collected dried blood samples from the corner of a wall, curtains, bedroom latch, TV speakers, etc. They matched Neeraj's DNA sample, proving his presence in the room and the scuffle that led to his murder.

The kitchen knife, which Jerome retrieved for the police a few days later, also had Neeraj's bloodstains.

The car that they used to carry Neeraj's body to Manor also had some dried bloodstains that matched with Neeraj's. The DNA sample taken from the remnants of bones found at Manor has matched the blood samples collected from Grover's parents, thereby proving that the person killed in the room, transported in the car and burnt was Neeraj.

Rukmani Krishnamurthy, director, State Forensics Laboratory, said, "We have got satisfactory results in the case and have submitted our reports to the police."