Mumbai:
It wasn't a simple case of hit-and-run, but a hit-and-run -away-with-the-victim. Or was it?
Over two months ago, 17-year-old Nasir Ahmed, son of Shakeel and Shama, was riding to Trombay station when a car rammed his bike, injuring him. Nasir has been missing since. It is unclear what has happened to him.
While his parents allege that he has been kidnapped by the car driver, the driver reportedly told the cops that Nasir threatened him with a knife and ran away when he was taking the boy to the hospital.
For their part, the police have lodged a case of negligent driving against the driver and are trying to trace him and the boy.
Incidentally, they did not get started on the case until six days ago, when the High Court goaded them with an order to probe the matter.
The crashThe incident happened on June 16 outside a bank near Mandala in the vicinity of BARC in Trombay.
According to the Trombay police and eyewitnesses, around 9 am, Nasir was travelling on his Kinetic Honda when a Maruti Omni driver lost control and collided head on into the bike.
Badshah Shaikh, who was exiting the bank and is a court witness in the case, told the police that he was acquainted with both the driver and the Ahmed family.
"After the accident, I rushed to help the boy as he was bleeding. His bike was totally damaged.
By the time I could get to him, I saw that the driver and two others put him in their car and drove off, saying that they were taking him to the hospital," said Badshah.
Identifying the driver as one Simon Shaikh, he further told cops that he is a resident of Cheetah Camp.
Three hours later, Ahmed's parents, who had been looking for their son, received a call from Badshah.
"Ahmed had left home at 8 am to drop his sister at the school where she teaches.
He then came home and left at 8.30 am again to drop a friend to Trombay station.
When he did not return until 11 am, we began looking for him. That is when Badshah called to tell us that Ahmed had been injured in an accident.
We went to the spot where we found his bike and a broken number plate of the Omni van," said Nasir's father, Shakeel.
Who's the victim?When Ahmed's parents approached the police, they were taken aback by what they heard.
Police officers told them that the Omni driver had lodged an NC with them, saying that when he was taking the unconscious boy to the hospital, he suddenly got up and told the car's three occupants to take him to Baiganwadi in Shivaji Nagar, where he threatened them with a knife and got off the van.
But Badshah contested this version. "When I saw him, Nasir was bleeding from his head. How could an injured boy threaten somebody with a knife?"
Given the fuzzy details, Ahmed's parents could not get the police to register a kidnapping case.
So after lodging a missing complaint, they approached the High Court, which, on August 24, directed the police to lodge a kidnapping case against the car driver.
Said Advocate G S Khan, "The court has asked the Trombay police to probe the matter and submit an investigation report by September 14.
If they are unable to do that, the court said that the case would be transferred to the CID or the Crime Branch."
Meanwhile cops have taken the statements of the boy's parents and the eyewitness, Badshah, and have registered a case of negligent driving against the car driver.
Senior Inspector Sanjay Khade of Trombay police station said, "The court has ordered us to investigate the matter and we are trying to trace the boy."
"We want to know whether our son is dead or alive. On Eid, we will be mourning for our only son," said Shakeel. "It has been six days, but Simon has not been arrested," said Shakeel.
June 16The day Nasir met with an accident. He has been missing ever since
August 24High Court directed the police to lodge a kidnapping case against the driver