Mumbai Train Tragedy: 3-Year-Old Boy Found In Toilet Dustbin
Railway cleaning staff at Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) discovered the body of a 3-year-old boy inside a toilet dustbin of the Kushinagar Express (22537) during early-morning cleaning on August 23, 2025. Investigators said the child’s mother had filed a kidnapping complaint the previous night in Surat, naming her 25-year-old cousin, Vikash Shah, as the alleged kidnapper. The Government Railway Police (GRP) and railway officials are examining CCTV footage and probing how the child died and how his body ended up in the coach toilet.
LTT in Mumbai, when staff cleaning the AC coach of the Kushinagar Express found the body of a toddler inside a toilet dustbin. In seconds, a normal shift became a crime scene—one that has stunned commuters across India and reopened urgent conversations about passenger safety, child protection, and coordination between railway agencies.
What We Know So Far (Without Speculation)
The discovery: In the early hours of August 23, 2025, cleaning workers at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Kurla) found a 3-year-old boy’s body inside a dustbin placed in the toilet of an AC coach of the Kushinagar Express (Train No. 22537), which runs between LTT and Gorakhpur. They alerted station management, triggering a police and railway response.
The complaint: An initial probe revealed the child’s mother had filed a kidnapping complaint in Surat (Gujarat) on Friday night, naming her 25-year-old cousin, Vikash Shah, as the alleged kidnapper. Authorities are now scanning CCTV footage to piece together the boy’s final movements and to determine how he died and how the body reached the coach toilet’s dustbin.
The agencies at work: The case is being led by the Government Railway Police (GRP), which—unlike the Railway Protection Force (RPF)—is the state police arm responsible for crime investigation and law & order in railway premises and trains. (RPF’s mandate centers on railway property and passenger area security; cases detected by RPF are handed to GRP for investigation.)
FAQs
1) Which train and station are involved in this case?
The body was found inside a toilet dustbin of an AC coach on the Kushinagar Express (22537) at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Mumbai
2) Who is investigating—RPF or GRP?
The Government Railway Police (GRP) leads investigations into crimes on trains and station premises. The RPF secures railway property and passenger areas and supports GRP; if RPF detects a crime, it hands over the case to GRP for investigation
3) What is known about the kidnapping complaint?
Police say the child’s mother filed a complaint in Surat the night before the discovery, alleging her cousin, Vikash Shah (25), kidnapped her son. This complaint is a central lead in the ongoing probe.
4) Do we know the cause of death?
Not yet. Authorities have stated they are examining CCTV footage and pursuing the investigation; specific forensic findings have not been made public at the time of writing
5) What’s the route and timing context for Kushinagar Express?
It connects Gorakhpur and Mumbai LTT, usually covering ~1,680–1,688 km in about 30 hours 45 minutes; the LTT arrival is typically around 00:20, which aligns with the early-hours cleaning schedule when staff made the discovery.
