A 37-year-old scrap collector has been released on bail after spending nearly seven years in jail in a murder case he claims he had no connection to, raising serious questions about prolonged incarceration and alleged lapses in investigation.
Sandeep Chaurasiya, arrested by Vakola police in 2019 from railway tracks, walked out of Arthur Road Jail on April 9 after 2559 days in custody, following legal intervention by an NGO working with undertrial prisoners.
Arrested in 2019, claims he was unaware of charges
Chaurasiya said he was picked up on June 19, 2019, while sleeping near a railway track.
“I thought they were thieves. They started searching my pockets. When I resisted, they said they were police and took me to Vakola police station,” he told mid-day.
Sandeep Chaurasiya. Pics/Samiullah Khan
He said he was produced in court the next day and sent to custody, but was not informed about the charges.
“For nearly five months, I had no idea why I was arrested. Only after receiving the chargesheet did I learn I was accused of murdering a man named Suresh Bahra,” he said.
“I didn’t even know him,” he added.
Second arrest, new murder charge
Chaurasiya said police again picked him up in June 2019. He initially believed it was linked to missed court hearings in the earlier case due to a leg injury. However, he claims he was instead jailed in connection with a separate murder case and remained unaware of the charges for months.
Mangesh Sondalkar
Earlier case: Assault turned murder
Chaurasiya said he had been previously arrested in 2017 in an assault case that was later converted to murder.
He claimed the incident involved a man known as “Mama” (identified as Raju Kunthe), who allegedly sustained a fatal head injury after falling during a scuffle on January 16, 2017.
During bail hearing, defence highlighted:
>>Gaps in investigation
>>Missing documents
>>Delay in trial proceedings
>> The court granted bail on a bond of `15,000
According to Chaurasiya:
>>The altercation followed a dispute over alcohol
>>The man allegedly slipped and hit his head on a dug-up road
>>He was taken to VN Desai Hospital but later died
>>Police initially registered an assault case but later converted it to murder, leading to Chaurasiya’s arrest and incarceration in Arthur Road Jail
>>He was granted bail in that case on August 28, 2017
Allegations of procedural lapses
Chaurasiya alleged that:
>>He was never informed about the case at the time of arrest
>>He was not taken to the crime scene
>>He was not involved in key investigation procedures such as the panchnama
“I was just sent to jail from court,” he claimed.
Legal aid turns case around
The case took a turn when advocate Mangesh Sondalkar, associated with NGO “Dard Se Hum Dard,” intervened.
Sondalkar said:
>>The chargesheet was incomplete
>>The post-mortem report was missing for nearly seven years
>>The court eventually directed authorities to provide the documents
“Serious discrepancies were seen between the preliminary and final autopsy reports,” he said.
Police comment
When contacted in this regard, Vakola police station Senior Inspector Prakash Khandekar declined to offer any comment.
Mental trauma during incarceration
Chaurasiya described severe distress during his time in prison. “People avoided me, calling me a murderer. I kept saying I was innocent, but no one listened,” he said. He added that the prolonged incarceration led to depression and suicidal thoughts.
What the lawyer found
>> The charge sheet was incomplete
>> The post-mortem report was missing for nearly seven years
>> RTI requests for documents were initially rejected
>> The court eventually directed authorities to provide the documents
At a glance
Arrested: June 2019
Time in jail: 7 years (2,559 days)
Jail: Arthur Road Jail
Bail granted: April 9, 2026
Bail amount: R15,000
NGO involved: Dard Se
Hum Dard
April 9
Day when Sandeep Chaurasiya walked out of jail
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