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bags of horror: Passersby informed the cops about the unattended bags thinking they contained bombs. It was the bomb disposal squad who discovered the gory remains. pic/sameer markande

At 8.15 pm yesterday, vigilant Mumbaikars outside Mahalaxmi racecourse spotted four pieces of unclaimed luggage and did what is expected of any responsible citizen they called the cops. The police arrived and immediately called the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS).

Wearing the mandatory bomb disposal suits and armed with the requisite equipment, the BDS sleuths opened the bags and to their horror, found chopped body parts of a man. The four pieces of luggage two suitcases and two bags had been lying next to a makeshift private bus stand for corporate employees.

Interestingly, the  dead man had chunks of fenugreek (methi seeds) in its mouth and throat, while the bags held kilos of onions and garlic.

"We don't know the reason for the methi, as yet," said an officer from Tardeo police station. 
The body was cut into four pieces head, torso, legs and hands and dumped in the four bags.

The body has been sent to the BYL Nair Hospital for postmortem. "There were no identification papers of any kind inside the bag, but the body had been put into plastic bags with Jindal printed on it."

"When the BDS gave the all clear for bombs, we opened the bag and brought out the body parts, which had begun decomposing," said the police officer, and added that the man had been dead for around 24 hours.

The man who informed the police about the bags (he did not want to be named) said, "Usually private buses stand on this road, completely blocking the footpath. Fortunately today being a holiday, there were no buses and I spotted the bags and informed the police thinking they may contain explosives."