11-year-old found hanging at Dombivli residence

Circumstantial evidence points to suicide; case to be transferred to Tilak Nagar police

Mumbai: An 11-year-old boy was found dead at his residence in Dombivli on Wednesday evening. While all the circumstantial evidence points to a suicide, the police have not been able to find a reason why he would want to take such an extreme step at such a tender age.

According to the Manpada police, the deceased has been identified as Heramb Digvekar (11), a resident of Tilak Nagar in Dombivli (East), where he used to stay with his parents and younger sister. The police said the incident occurred at around 6:30 p.m.

“Heramb was alone in the house at the time as his father was at work and his mother and sister stepped out to buy milk. They were only gone for 15 minutes and when they returned, the door was bolted from inside. When repeated knocking and ringing of the doorbell elicited no response, Heramb’s mother went around to the balcony and peeped inside, after which she saw him hanging from the ceiling fan,” said senior police inspector Gajanan Kabdule, Manpada station.

Heramb’s mother raised an alarm and broke the door down with the help of her neighbours. Heramb was taken to AIMS Hospital in the MIDC area where he was declared dead before admission. The hospital subsequently informed the Manpada police, and a team was sent to conduct inquiries.

“We have made inquiries with Heramb’s parents and they have told us that he was behaving in a perfectly normal manner on Wednesday. He was studying, as per his daily routine, when his mother and sister stepped out. His parents have said that he was not upset over any reason, nor was he facing any problems at school or otherwise. In fact, his father and mother described him as a bright student and a well-liked boy in the locality,” said Mr. Kabdule.

The police have not found any signs of foul play. There was no forced entry and the time that Heramb’s mother and sister were gone is too short a window for anyone to have come, killed Heramb, and fled, said investigating officials. Post-mortem, too, has not indicated any injuries to the body apart from ligature marks around the neck.

The only possibility that suggests itself, an officer said, is that Heramb might have tried to imitate suicide as it is shown on television or in movies. He used one of his mother’s stoles to hang himself.

The Manpada police have registered an accidental death report and are transferring the case to the Tilak Nagar police, as the Digvekar residence falls in their jurisdiction.

“We are taking over the case and will conduct investigations with all possibilities in mind,” said senior police inspector Shivaji Dhumal, Tilak Nagar station.