The entire family of the 12-year-old accused, who was booked for allegedly murdering his tuition teacher in Shivaji Nagar earlier this month, has been missing since the day of the incident.
The boy, who used to stay in plot no 26 in Shivaji Nagar, allegedly stabbed his tuition teacher, Ayesha Husaiyya, to death at her residence in the same locality, where she would conduct tuitions. He was sent to a juvenile remand home.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Deonar division) Vishwapal Bhujbal confirmed that his family members, including his parents, three brothers, and a sister, have been missing since the murder. “We have received information about them being missing and have several teams trying to track their location, in Mumbai and outside.”
An officer with the Shivaji Nagar police said the priority was to ensure that they were safe. “Husaiyya was popular in the locality and her murder has sparked reactions. We first need to make sure that nobody has harmed one or more members of the family in retaliation. We are tracking their call detail record and are making inquiries with all their family members and friends to check for clues about their whereabouts.”
The officer said the other possibility was that they left the locality due to the shame associated with the crime. “Either way, inquires with them are necessary as there are some unconfirmed reports from local residents, which need to be verified.”
Meanwhile, the police said the motive behind the murder still seems to be Husaiyya’s curt refusal to lend money to the accused’s mother when she asked for a loan as she was falling short of money to even meet day-to-day expenses.
