Mumbai, Apr 18 (Mid-day) : A black backpack left at the scene of crime holds the key to the investigations into the murder of a 45-year-old woman who was found with stab wounds at Silver beach in Juhu last morning. This latest incident is the fourth such case reported in the recent past at Juhu beach.

According to the Juhu police, they received a call from morning walkers stating that a body was lying on the beach. Cops rushed to the spot and a panchnama was carried out wherein it was found that the deceased had stab marks on her neck and right thigh. She also had bruises on her arms and hands.

“Based on the condition of the body, we have registered a case of murder against unknown men,” said Rajendra Chavan, senior police inspector of the Juhu police station. Police said, after inquiring from the people nearby, they got to know that the victim was a commercial sex worker and resided at Nehru Nagar slums, which is located behind the Juhu police station.

The woman was later identified as Shamim Shakil Khan, who was married and has two children. Police said that since her husband Shakil was unemployed, Shamim had decided to earn a living as a commercial sex worker. Cops said that Shamim had left her house for Juhu beach on Wednesday sat 8 pm to look for customers.

Police have recorded the statements of other commercial sex workers in the area who knew Shamim, but none of them had seen her on the night of her murder. Police are now trying to locate witnesses who saw Shamim that night.

Murderer leaves clue

Police suspect that the killer might be a customer Shamim was soliciting that night, as they have found a black backpack lying close to the body. Cops believe the bag belongs to the murderer and he may have left it in a hurry. “No commercial sex worker roams around with such a heavy backpack. We suspect that the killer was Shamim’s customer who was visiting the city from another state,” said a police officer.