http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/7-months-on-no-leads-in-Malad-murder/articleshow/18620943.cms
ByNitasha Natu, TNN | Feb 22, 2013, 03.51 AM IST
MUMBAI: The last memory they have of their mother is bidding her goodbye while leaving for school. Everything else is a haze that returns to the memory of a burning odour emanating from their Malad residence, with no response from within and their constant banging on the door to get their mother's attention.
It's been seven months since Susan Rodrigues was murdered and torched but with the police investigation coming to a standstill her two daughters are still groping for answers.
Susan (46), was a homemaker and an active member of a womens' welfare cell affiliated to the local church. Her husband, Allwyn, works in Bahrain. The couple had a strained relationship. Their daughters Acacia (17) and Abisha (11) were very close to Susan and have since the time of the tragedy have moved in with their uncle, Steven.
"We are slowly losing hope in the police department," Steven said. "The girls and I have been repeatedly quizzed. We have recounted the tiniest detail about Susan but there's been no breakthrough in the case. Susan could never take to any wrongdoing. We want to know what exactly happened in the house the day she died," he added.
On July 16, 2012, Abisha returned home from school and waited outside as nobody answered the door. She then went downstairs where she met Acacia and they tried calling Susan but her phones were switched off. Neighbours gathered when the girls complained of a burning odour and summoned the fire brigade. Susan's body was recovered with pieces of paper stuck to it. But there were no bloodstains anywhere. "Two gold chains, Susan's wedding ring, Rs 15,000 in cash and 25 tolas of gold belonging to her friend were missing from the house. A personal diary belonging to |Susan had also vanished," Steven added. The cops had initially classified the case as an accidental death but the post-mortem report revealed that Susan had been stabbed and torched.
The family has accused the police of conducting a shoddy probe.
"No fingerprints were taken from the house nor was the dog squad summoned. For two hours after the body was found, acquaintances were freely walking in and out of the house with no cordoning. The cops used a digital camera from Susan's cupboard to take photographs of the crime scene, instead of calling a professional photographer. Then there was a tussle between the Malwani police and the crime branch," Steven said.
When contacted, senior inspector Abdul Rauf Shaikh of the Malwani police station refuted the allegations and said they had questioned everyone close to Susan. "We have gone through her cellphone records as well. The probe is still on and the case isn't closed," Shaikh said.
ByNitasha Natu, TNN | Feb 22, 2013, 03.51 AM IST
MUMBAI: The last memory they have of their mother is bidding her goodbye while leaving for school. Everything else is a haze that returns to the memory of a burning odour emanating from their Malad residence, with no response from within and their constant banging on the door to get their mother's attention.
It's been seven months since Susan Rodrigues was murdered and torched but with the police investigation coming to a standstill her two daughters are still groping for answers.
Susan (46), was a homemaker and an active member of a womens' welfare cell affiliated to the local church. Her husband, Allwyn, works in Bahrain. The couple had a strained relationship. Their daughters Acacia (17) and Abisha (11) were very close to Susan and have since the time of the tragedy have moved in with their uncle, Steven.
"We are slowly losing hope in the police department," Steven said. "The girls and I have been repeatedly quizzed. We have recounted the tiniest detail about Susan but there's been no breakthrough in the case. Susan could never take to any wrongdoing. We want to know what exactly happened in the house the day she died," he added.
On July 16, 2012, Abisha returned home from school and waited outside as nobody answered the door. She then went downstairs where she met Acacia and they tried calling Susan but her phones were switched off. Neighbours gathered when the girls complained of a burning odour and summoned the fire brigade. Susan's body was recovered with pieces of paper stuck to it. But there were no bloodstains anywhere. "Two gold chains, Susan's wedding ring, Rs 15,000 in cash and 25 tolas of gold belonging to her friend were missing from the house. A personal diary belonging to |Susan had also vanished," Steven added. The cops had initially classified the case as an accidental death but the post-mortem report revealed that Susan had been stabbed and torched.
The family has accused the police of conducting a shoddy probe.
"No fingerprints were taken from the house nor was the dog squad summoned. For two hours after the body was found, acquaintances were freely walking in and out of the house with no cordoning. The cops used a digital camera from Susan's cupboard to take photographs of the crime scene, instead of calling a professional photographer. Then there was a tussle between the Malwani police and the crime branch," Steven said.
When contacted, senior inspector Abdul Rauf Shaikh of the Malwani police station refuted the allegations and said they had questioned everyone close to Susan. "We have gone through her cellphone records as well. The probe is still on and the case isn't closed," Shaikh said.
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