MUMBAI: Mystery has given way to tragedy as police has confirmed the skeletal remains of a woman discovered by a British geologist near Nerul in Mumbai on Sunday, to be that of Sandhya Singh- the sister of music directors Jatin-Lalit and yesteryear actresses Sulakshana and Vijayta Pandit.
Sandhya had been missing since 13 December, after she left to deposit gold jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh in a nearby bank in Nerul a suburb in Navi Mumbai. Her mysterious disappearance had led to speculations throughout the city.
The remains were found by a 61-year old British geologist and ornithologist MJ Oates, while taking part in 9th Mumbai Bird Race. He was looking out for birds in the posh Palm Beach Road when he stumbled across a skull and some bones and informed police.
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She was identified by Jatin-Lalit and her 22-year old son through her rudraksh chain and headdress found with her remains. She used to stay with her husband, Customs & Central Excise Commissioner Jaiprakash Singh in Vashi as per reports.
Criticizing the city’s police of dragging their feet over the investigation, Lalit Pandit told Radioandmusic.com that although they notified the police when Sandhya was deemed missing and they feared the worst, the police did not believe them.“They couldn’t find the body and it was tough convincing them. As time passed we feared the worst but the police didn’t believe us,” he said.
“The only consolation is that we know our sister was killed. Either way, I have lost my sister. It is for the police to seek justice. We talk about treating women as our ‘sisters’ and ‘mothers’ but if ‘known’ people like us could be treated this way by the police, I can imagine how less fortunate people would be treated,” he said.
The police are suspecting that Sandhya was a victim of robbery, as she was in the habit of wearing heavy jewellery. On the day she went missing, she had on jewellery worth about Rs 20 lakh. The Nerul police had declared a reward of Rs 50,000 to anyone who provided information about Sandhya’s whereabouts. Though police are tightlipped about the cause of death, they suspect murder for robbery and the remains have been sent for forensic tests and autopsy.
