Mumbai constable death: Forensic report reveals cop was not poisoned

Mumbai: Nearly 20 days after 30-year-old police constable Vishal Pawar died under mysterious circumstances and alleged in his dying declaration that he was poisoned by drug addicts near the Matunga railway station, the forensic science laboratory report has revealed that there was “no poison” in his body.

The 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. The police believe that Pawar died due to natural causes as his initial medical report revealed that despite suffering from jaundice he had consumed alcohol at least 10 to 12 times on April 27, the day of the incident.

“The report is a piece of scientific evidence that Pawar had given a false statement to Kopri police on April 27,” said Anil Kadam, senior police inspector of Dadar GRP.

The officers investigating the case had sent Pawar’s viscera (internal organs) to the forensic laboratory in Kalina to find out whether there was poison in his organs. On Saturday, the report confirmed that Pawar had no poison in his system. The FIR in Pawar’s case was registered on May 1 while he died the next day.

According to Dadar GRP, the initial medical report of Pawar stated that he was suffering from jaundice when he was admitted to the hospital. They recorded the statements of all the bars and pubs where he had consumed alcohol on the date of the incident and found that he had tried to pawn his gold ring with the owner of a bar to consume more alcohol.

The police suspect that Pawar might have died due to liver failure and/or kidney failure which would become clear only after receipt of the chemical analysis report, which is awaited.

Earlier this week, the investigators found out that Pawar had allegedly given a false statement to the Kopri police that he had been assaulted by members of a “fatka gang” after he went to confront them after they robbed his mobile handset on the night of April 27 when he was going to Thane by a local train.

Officials privy to the investigation said that there were many discrepancies in his statement to the Kopri police and the probe revealed that Pawar was in Dadar around 11.40 pm on April 27 and had visited some bars and restaurants.

Pawar, in his statement, told the railway police that the gang injected him with poison and also forced some liquid into his mouth. He said that he fell unconscious soon after that and crawled back to Matunga station at around 2 am and boarded a Thane train to go home after he regained consciousness.