Mumbai: Days after police constable Vishal Pawar died under mysterious circumstances and alleged in his dying declaration that he was poisoned by a gang, the forensic science laboratory (FSL) report has revealed that there was “no poison” in his body.
The forensic report, which was received by the Dadar railway police, will be sent to Thane Civil Hospital, which will finally reveal the exact cause of Pawar’s death.
Confirming absence of poison, senior police inspector Anil Kadam said, “It is clear that Vishal Pawar’s death did not occur due to poisoning. The report proves that his statement was absolutely untrue. We will send the report to Thane Civil Hospital, which is waiting for it to conclude the cause.” Kadam added, “One thing is clear, the FIR was wrong. After receiving the final report from the hospital, we will file the ‘B’ summary report before the court.”
A police source said that Pawar was an alcoholic and suffered from various diseases owing to his addiction. Before he died, he had been admitted for around three months to a hospital for the treatment of jaundice, the source said. “His organs were affected due to extreme alcohol consumption. His liver was damaged, and he suffered from kidney disease. The police concluded that his statement was an attempt to avoid going to work. His colleagues also gave statements that he was an addict and consumed alcohol every day,” the source added.
Pawar resided in Thane and was attached to the Worli local arms division-3. His dying declaration was made before the Kopri police. He had claimed that on April 27, en route to a night shift aboard a slow local train dressed in civilian attire, he was talking to someone near the train door around 9.30pm, when he was targeted by a ‘fatka thief’ who tried to snatch his mobile phone.
Pawar said he alighted to chase him but was surrounded by a gang of addicts who assaulted him. One of them allegedly injected poison into his back while others forced a red liquid down his throat, leaving him unconscious. He regained consciousness nearly 12 hours later and returned home to Thane, where his family took him to Thane Government Hospital.
The constable succumbed on May 1. Before he died, the local Kopri police station recorded his statement and registered a case under sections 392 (robbery), 394 (hurting while robbing), and 328 (causing harm by administering poisonous substances) of the Indian Penal Code. After his death, the case was transferred to Dadar railway police as the incident took place in their jurisdiction. The Dadar railway cops later added section 302 (murder) to the FIR.
The Dadar railway police and the Railway Crime Branch immediately started the investigation and collected evidence within a few hours. However, the preliminary investigation suggested that Pawar’s statement was inaccurate.
CCTV footage revealed that he boarded a fast local train around 11.15pm at Thane station, disembarked in Dadar at 11.54pm on April 27, and spent approximately 45 minutes at Hotel Vishwa Mahal restaurant and bar in Dadar East. He then walked towards Parel along the tracks and slept at the station. The next day, around 8.30am, he returned to Matunga station where CCTV footage captured him scrolling through his mobile phone. He then went into Sai Bar in Matunga West, where he spent almost an hour. He did not have money, so he offered his ring, which the bar cashier did not accept.
Pawar sold it elsewhere and then gave the money. He returned to Thane and went to a bar to drink. He talked with his relatives until 11.45pm on April 27. This evidence proved that his statement did not match the facts. The police almost concluded that his death was not due to poison, but they were waiting for the forensic report, which confirmed that he was not poisoned.
