According to the police reports, Tuesday night spelt doom for two lovers who were found dead. This was brought to the notice of the police as a resident in the locality contacted the control room about the vehicle being parked with its headlights on. A team from Mulund police station was sent to the spot. Salman Afroz Alam Khan (26) and Manisha Negi (21) were found dead inside a car parked near a court in suburban Mulund early this morning. While the police has registered a case of accidental death as of now, the post- mortem reports are awaited so that they may rule out any foul play.It is further being alleged that the couple committed suicide by consuming poison with other facts such as there being no consent by both the families as they belonged to different religions namely, Hindu and Muslim.
Preliminary probe revealed that Khan, a resident of Mulund, and Negi, who lived in Navi Mumbai, were in a relationship for the past four years. They wanted to get married but their families were reportedly against the relationship, a senior police official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Akhilesh Singh said the police had received a call around 3.30 am informing that a car with its headlights on was parked on JSS Road near Mulund court. When a police team reached the spot, they found the couple lying unconscious on the front seat of a blue Mitsubishi Lancer. The police broke the windows and found a bottle of poison and half a bottle of soft drink lying inside. The couple was rushed to the hospital where they were declared dead.
Singh said, “We did not find any suicide note yet. So far, we have found that the duo were in a relationship. It appears that some of the family members did not approve of their relationship. It could be one of the reasons behind their taking the extreme step. We are yet to record the statements of families and friends.”
An officer said Khan had a cloth store in Mulund and had recently made a second-hand purchase of the four wheeler in which bodies of the couple were found. While Khan lived in Mulund with his family, Negi was a resident of Navi Mumbai.
According to the couple’s college friends, they got into a relationship while they were both in the second-year of their commerce degree college in Bhandup. Khan had earlier done a cabin crew training course and then had joined college. “For over four years they were in a relationship,” a college friend said.
Another college friend Somesh Pandey said, “Nearly a year back, Khan had started a cloth store and it was doing pretty well.” Pandey, who knew Negi as well, said, “Negi was currently working at an outlet in R City Mall at Ghatkopar and also undergoing a cabin crew training.”
A childhood friend of Khan said, “I had just met him yesterday and he had promised to meet me at the gym today. And then in the morning, I got the news of his death.” He added, “We knew Khan’s parents and they did not appear to be disapproving of her. They even knew about his relationship with Negi. In fact, we heard Khan had even visited Negi’s parents recently.”
Last month Khan had shared a post on social media that read, “The sad thing is, Kirkup said, “Suicide does not end the pain. It just passes it onto someone else.”