Key witness in Santos-Fernandez double murder case found dead

A key witness in the 2011 murders of Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandez was today found dead with multiple injuries on his body in the MIDC area of suburban Andheri in Mumbai, the police said.

The deceased Avinash Bali (40) was a prime witness in the case that had caused a huge public outrage over the daylight killings of the duo while they were trying to save their female friends from eve-teasers.

"Bali was missing for the last two-three days. He was found dead in the MIDC area in the wee hours today," a senior police official said.

He said police were informed by some locals after they spotted a body with multiple injuries.

The deceased was later identified as Bali by his friends, he said, adding that further investigation is underway.

Bali had completed his deposition in the double murder case in 2014 and had supported the prosecution case till the end of the trial.

Keenan Santos (24) and his friend Reuben Fernandez (29) were stabbed by eve-teasers after a scuffle at Amboli in suburban Andheri on October 20, 2011.

The victims were attacked when they tried to shield their women companions from a group of men who harassed, abused and misbehaved with them outside an eatery at Amboli.

The group, after retreating, returned to the spot with over ten aides and brutally assaulted Keenan and Reuben in full public view.

In 2016, Special Women's Court Judge Vrushali Joshi had sentenced the accused to jail for the remainder of their life.

The accused--Jitendra Rana, Sunil Bodh, Satish Dulhaj and Dipak Tival--were convicted on charges of murder, outraging the modesty of a woman and other charges of the Indian Penal Code.