Mumbai: Locals allege murder as 3-year-old girl found dead in Aarey

The spot where Darshinirsquos remains were found PicsKaushal DubeyIn another suspected incident of mananimal conflict a threeyearold girl was killed in Aarey Milk Colony on Monday But while police are investigating if it could have been a leopard attack locals suspect foul play Over 200 locals held up traffic at Panchavati junction in Aarey late in the evening yesterday They refused to collect the girls remains from a hospital claiming she was murdered and demanded a proper investigation into the incident Police are waiting for the postmortem report which will mention the cause of deathDarshini Mutthu Veli a resident of unit 13 which is located on a hillock surrounded by a forested patch went missing from near her house while returning from a neighbours home on Monday night A missing complaint was registered with Aarey police station But her remains were found on WednesdayDarshini Mutthu Velirsquos remains were found in Aarey Milk ColonySearched for two daysDarshini had gone to her neighbours house which is about 20 feet from her house When she did not come home her family approached the neighbours They told us that she had left their house to return home We immediately started searching for her in the nearby forested patch along with local residents and police from Aarey Police Station said her father Mutthu VeliAlso read Satanic cult Man found dead in Aarey area may have volunteered to dieOn Monday over 150 people searched the forested area on the hillock but Darshini was not traceable despite looking for more than two hours even the next day On Wednesday morning the search continued and a team of researchers and volunteers who have been monitoring leopard activity were asked to join itDarshinirsquos father Mutthu Veli said when she did not return from their neighbourrsquos house they approached them asking about herRemains foundWildlife researcher Rajesh Sanap along with team member Kaushal Dubey and Imran Udat began the search operation at 930 am on Wednesday and at around 1130 am he was successful in locating part of the girls torso The police and the researchers later found the head followed by a leg and a hand The police sent them to Siddharth Hospital for postmortem to know the exact cause of the death Foul play suspectedMidday also visited the area and locals said that there are chances that the girl might have been killed after which a wild animal must have eaten herAlso read Mumbai Farmer spots body in Aarey field police find head 30metre awayWe want the police to do a proper investigation into the case from all angles because though the body parts have been recovered we have yet not found the shorts that she was wearing along with the steel glass that was in her hand There are chances that she might have been killed and later a wild animal might have consumed her body said a localChief Conservator of Forests Thane Forest Department Territorial Sunil Limaye said We are waiting for the postmortem report to come as it will reveal the exact cause of deathDeputy Conservator of Forests Jitendra Ramgaonkar also visited the location and interacted with the locals and has asked them to see to it that small children are not let out of the house alone after dusk and before dawnSenior Police Inspector from Aarey Police Station Vijay Oulkar the DCP and ACP of the area along with staff also visited the spot where the body parts were found