A team of Mumbai police crime branch on Friday picked up a 35-year-old man from his Malad residence on suspicion that he was allegedly involved in two criminal offences, including a murder in Glasgow in the United Kingdom in 1997.
The arrested person has been identified as Sougat Mukherjee. While his family has expressed shock over the development, police sources said Mukherjee had gone to Glasgow in 1997 to study Nautical Science. He was 18 years old then. "In October that year, he had allegedly behaved indecently in a public transport vehicle in front of women. He was called by the police and was questioned for a few hours," said a crime branch source.
A relative of Mukherjee, who did not wished to be identified, said: "Sougat returned home to India after a few months. He informed us that he was questioned by the police there regarding some indecency issue. He was frightened and was advised by his colleagues to return home. He left his luggage and took a flight to India soon after."
As per the police, in November 1997, a 21-year-old local was found murdered in her apartment. She was strangulated, according to the Glasgow police.
The case remained undetected until in 2013, when the case was put up for a review and fresh evidence came up before the police. "As per the Glasgow police, they came across a CCTV footage of the crime scene and they suspect that the person in the footage is Mukherjee. The Glasgow police had sent us an arrest warrant for Mukherjee. We located him three months ago and were keeping an eye on his movements," the officer said.
Mukherjee will now be sent to Tihar Jail in Delhi. "Once the Glasgow police ask for his extradition, he will be handed over to them through proper channel," said the officer.
Mukherjee claims innocence and says he never committed any murder and there seems to be some "mistake" on part of Glasgow police.
"We are shocked. We do not believe that Sougat could be involved in any such crime. He is happily married and settled in Mumbai. We are worried for him now," said the relative.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}