In a shocking case, 30-year-old Vikas Kumar Shah confessed to killing his 3-year-old nephew Akash Shah, whose body was found in a flush tank of the Kushinagar Express at Kurla. Police said the accused strangled the child to take revenge on his maternal aunt, who allegedly taunted him for being jobless. He was arrested in BKC on August 25.
Accused Vikas Shah (in black) in the custody of the Surat Crime Branch. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The murderer of three-year-old Akash Shah, whose body was stuffed inside the flush tank of the Kushinagar Express train at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Kurla, has confessed to the police that he strangled the child to get back at his mother, the accused’s maternal aunt, as she would frequently taunt him, calling him a “jobless and useless man”. The killer, Vikas Kumar Bisundayal Shah, 30, was arrested on August 25 at Bandra Kurla Complex by the Surat Crime Branch and Amroli police, who joined forces to trace his whereabouts with the help of face recognition cameras and mobile trackers.
During the interrogation, Vikas revealed that after losing his job in Dubai, he returned to India and was living at his maternal aunt’s house in Surat. He claimed that despite trying to find work, his aunt kept bringing up the fact that he was unemployed. Showing no remorse for his actions, he stated that, to take revenge for the constant taunts, he kidnapped and killed her son.
Vikas Shah, the accused. Pics/Special Arrangement
The victim, Akash, also fondly called Aarav, lived with his mother Durgawati, father Rajendra, brother Ankush, and sister Khushi at Krishna Nagar Society in Amroli, Surat. Vikas had been staying with them for the past month, along with his mother Rabdi and sister Rani, after losing his job in the United Arab Emirates, where he worked as a mechanical fitter.
A Crime Branch officer said, “Durgawati was very attached to Akash. To hurt her, Vikas decided to kidnap and kill the child.” On Friday, August 22, around 12 pm, Vikas lured Akash out of the house. With the help of a friend, he reached Surat railway station and travelled to Mumbai. The following day, he strangled Akash with a red thread inside the toilet of the Kushinagar Express and slit his throat before dumping the body inside the flush tank of AC compartment B-2. He then fled. The body was subsequently discovered the same day by a train cleaner, who alerted Kurla Railway Police. The victim was identified, and the Amroli police in Surat were informed.
The investigation
A special team comprising the Surat Crime Branch and Amroli police was formed to track Vikas. His mobile tower location placed him in Kurla. The police found that he would switch on his phone only once a day, usually in the evening, before switching it off again. Facial recognition CCTV cameras at railway stations also captured his movements between Bandra, Dadar, and Kurla. Further inquiries revealed that Vikas had managed to secure a job as a mechanical fitter in BKC and was staying at a local’s house.
Traced and arrested
On Monday, August 25, Vikas left work and boarded a bus towards Bandra station. The area was crowded with buses, autos, taxis, cabs, and private vehicles, making it difficult to track him.
A Crime Branch officer said, “When Vikas switched on his phone, it appeared he was in a moving vehicle and was later slowing down, indicating he was walking. Teams were alerted, but the heavy rush near Bandra station made it difficult to spot him immediately.”
Finally, officers noticed his movements had stabilised. They then rushed to his location and, in the midst of a large crowd of labourers and commuters, identified and apprehended him. He was taken to the local police station at BKC and later brought back to Surat.
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