When asked about Stephen’s involvement with drugs as an addict and dealer, Paul said, “It’s outrageous to say that my brother was an addict or suffered from AIDS. He was an extremely healthy man and never did drugs.”

Paul also disputed that Bennett ever took the Mandovi Express to Mumbai. “He was never on the train. There are glaring inconsistencies in the police story. They keep changing his date of journey, then if the villagers had killed him, why were his hands tied before hanging?”

The police are, however, adamant that “it is an open and shut case”.

“We have resolved everything so far except for those two days that had gone unaccounted between Stephen’s exit from train and reaching Roha. What we have learnt is that Stephen was not only an addict but also a small time drug-dealer. We have formed four different teams to track down Stephen’s network. But for us it’s a clear-cut murder case perpetrated by the villager due to misunderstanding,” said Satyapal Singh, IGP (Thane range).

Singh further claimed that “Stephen had been smoking foul-smelling stuff through the journey and the passengers were upset about this. It was their extreme objection that led to Stephen leaving the train at Roha. We have recorded the statements of two of his co-passengers who live in Kankavali.”