The three male passengers who lost their lives on the train were similarly identified by the constable by their appearance. The woman and her husband presumed that they escaped because Singh had run out of ammunition. They were shocked when they learnt later from the investigators that he had eight more rounds in his gun.
After getting off the train at Mira Road in a bid to flee, Singh also pointed his weapon at the train’s guard who was trying to approach him. He told the guard to get back on the train, else he would be shot. On Wednesday, Singh, who was under suspension since his arrest, was formally dismissed from the Railway Protection Force.
A key witness in the case has told investigators that he overheard the last words of Singh’s superior, RPF assistant sub-inspector Tikaram Meena, who was the first of the four victims in the July 31 killings. The witness was in the washroom when Meena was shot by the RPF constable barely metres away in the passage of coach B5. As he fell, Meena cried out, “Hai Ram, maar diya, (Oh god, he has killed me)”, according to this witness.
The witness is a male passenger from coach B5. He told investigators that around 4.50 am, he woke up to go to the washroom. He saw Singh and Meena talking in the passage near the washroom. Moments later, there was the report of gunfire. On hearing Meena’s last words, the passenger stayed put in the washroom.
According to sources, the witness then called up his mother and told her what had happened on the train. Later, his uncle also called him up and told him not to step out till help arrived. Over one-and-a-half hours later when the train reached Borivali station, personnel from GRP and RPF entered the coach and rescued the witness from the washroom. Singh had already alighted from the train after a passenger pulled the alarm chain at Mira Road at 5.55 am. Another passenger from the same coach has told investigators that there was a gap of at least half an hour between the gunning down of Meena and an elderly traveller, Kadar Bhanpurwala. The passenger said Bhanpurwala had got up from his berth when the train reached Vaitarna and moved towards an exit in preparation to disembark at Borivali. Afterwards, the passenger saw a gun-toting Singh walk down the same route before he heard a gunshot.
