Mumbai’s Prabhadevi area was gripped by shock after an 18-year-old youth was found dead under suspicious circumstances. The deceased has been identified as Anshu Sonlal Verma, a resident of Kamgar Nagar. Serious injury marks found on his face and neck have ruled out a natural death and pointed towards murder by strangulation.
Based on these findings, the Dadar police have registered a murder case against an unknown person and launched an investigation.
According to the police, Anshu Verma was employed at a tea stall on Gokhale Road in Dadar (East). He lived in a single room in a chawl located at Kamgar Nagar-1 on New Prabhadevi Road, along with two other youths who worked at the same tea stall.
On the night of January 31, at around 11.30 pm, Anshu was found lying unconscious near the gate of Kamgar Nagar in an intoxicated condition. The information was conveyed to his employer, Akshay Maruti Patil, over the phone. Anshu was then taken to his room and put to bed. Around 12.10 am, Akshay Patil personally visited the room and found Anshu asleep. At that time, no injury marks were visible on his face or body, and there was no indication of any untoward incident.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn in the early hours of February 1, around 2 am, when Anshu did not wake up. His roommates and family members tried to revive him by sprinkling water on his face, but there was no response. He was immediately rushed to KEM Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The matter became more serious after the body was examined in the post-mortem room. Deep assault marks were found on Anshu’s face, along with prominent reddish pressure marks on his neck, suggesting strangulation. The shocking discovery left family members and acquaintances in a state of disbelief.
In his complaint, Akshay Patil stated that after he left the room, an unknown person allegedly entered the premises and brutally assaulted Anshu before strangling him to death for unknown reasons.
The Prabhadevi police have registered a case of murder against an unidentified accused. CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding areas is being examined. Police officials said that the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report is received.
Following the incident, an atmosphere of fear and anger prevails in the Prabhadevi area.