Child Murder On Kushinagar Express: Vikas Shah Nabbed After Technical Investigation And Mobile Tracking

Mumbai: After three days of technical investigation and a tireless joint search operation, the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Surat cops arrested Vikas Kumar Shah, 27, who allegedly killed his three-year-old cousin, Aarav Shah, and dumped the body in a dustbin onboard Kushinagar Express on Saturday.

Motive Behind the Murder

The accused confessed that he killed the boy because his mother did not allow him to live with their family and had complained about his behaviour, said senior inspector J B Vanar from the Amroli police station in Surat, where the offence has been registered.

Vikas was nabbed at the Bandra Kurla Metro Yard on Monday evening after his mobile location was traced. The GRP has handed him over to the Surat police for further probe.

A railway police officer said, “The accused kept switching his phone on and off. We kept his number under surveillance. He had called his uncle’s daughter and through technical assistance, we traced his location to Bandra Kurla Metro Yard.” LTT police station senior inspector J B Tamboli, added, “The accused was roaming in Dadar, Kurla Yard and the BKC, living on the streets.”

Murder Inside Kushinagar Express

Inspector Vanar said, “Shah killed the child with a blade inside the empty Kushinagar Express and dumped the body in the lavatory dustbin. He had taken the victim along, telling the family that they were going out to play.” The accused then took Saurashtra Express and arrived in Dadar, said the officer, adding that from there, he travelled to Kalyan and Thane by local trains. Later, he reached LTT where an empty Kushinagar Express was stationed as passengers had already alighted, said the inspector.

After the body was discovered, the LTT police filed an accidental death report. Initially registered as a kidnapping offence by the Amroli police on August 21, the case was later converted to murder after post-mortem report confirmed that the boy was killed with a sharp object, ruling out sexual assault.