Bihar police find three bodies in train from Mumbai

Mumbai, Oct 9 (IANS) The bodies of three people, including a six-month-old child, were found in the parcel van of a passenger train from Mumbai by railway police in Muzaffarpur town of Bihar, an official said Thursday.

The decomposed bodies were discovered due to the stench emanating from the parcel van of the Pavan Express, which left Mumbai Monday afternoon, M.D. Pawar, senior police inspector, Kurla railway police, said.

'We are attempting to investigate if a missing persons complaint has been lodged anywhere in Mumbai or elsewhere to get clues to the identities of the victims,' Pawar told IANS.

He added that the victims may be residents of Mumbai or a place nearby, but it was difficult to ascertain it until details were sent by Muzaffarpur police.

The bodies - of a 40-year-old man, a 35-year-old woman and a six-month-old girl - were found packed in two cardboard boxes.

They were sent to the Muzaffarpur government hospital for an autopsy and the Kurla railway police was informed of the parcel and its sender.

A police team was rushed to inquire at the sender's address mentioned in the parcel, in Jari Mari in Andheri east, northwest Mumbai. However, the sender's name - Sunil Jha - and other contact details, including the address, turned out to be fake.

'We are waiting for the official complaint lodged by Muzaffarnagar police before we can initiate attempts to identify the victims through the missing persons records. We will also try to find out if the parcel was booked directly or through an agent,' Pawar said.