450 cops comb streets, find no leads

MUMBAI: Police are working feverishly to try and capture the serial killer who has murdered at least seven men in south Mumbai over the past two months. More than 450 personnel from various police stations, the crime branch, and the special branch are combing the streets. But they are still groping in the dark about the killer’s identity.

Over the past week, more than 500 people have been rounded up for questioning. But there has been no breakthrough yet. “We rounded up people based on certain parameters,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Brijesh Singh said. “There is some progress in the investigation. But we cannot reveal details.”

Police are also checking crime records from various police stations to find out if similar cases were registered in the past. One case that has caught their attention was registered at the Marine Drive police station in 2005. A person named Munna Salim Shaikh, aged 20, was arrested on a charge of murder.

“The modus operandi in Munna’s case was similar to the recent killings,” a police officer said. Munna was released for lack of evidence in May 2006. Police are trying to trace him now. Joint Commissioner of Police Arup Patnaik refused to comment on this lead.