Mumbai:
Mumbai's Kurla has been witness to a series of child murders since February. Three young girls were raped and killed in a slum here; the residents across the suburb are on the edge. (
Read: Mumbai serial killings - fear keeps Kurla on the edge)
Now, after months of false leads, the police have arrested 19-year-old Javed Ahmed Shaikh for the brutal rape and murder of one of the three young girls, nine-year-old Nusrat Sheikh whose decomposed body was recovered on June 25.
"He is a local, a tenth standard graduate and used to supply Internet connections. So he had access to local homes," Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjeev Dayal said.
Nusrat was one of the three young girls raped and killed here since February - incidents which triggered a wave of panic in the locality.
The breakthrough came through a DNA test on Javed, which matched samples recovered from Nusrat. But it did not match swabs taken the other two victims.
While this means there may be no serial killer, the police still have to find those behind the other deaths.
Sanjiv Dayal also said that an eight-year-old girl was the only child to have escaped unhurt despite being lured by the suspect.
Local residents who have been living on the edge for months, say the tension is not over yet. They're still not letting their children out of their sight.
"We still take our children to school ourselves. We cannot afford to take chances," a concerned parent said. "How do we know that the police have caught the right person?" added another.
Sikandar Shaikh, father of the first victim five-year-old Sania whose body was recovered in February, said he is still waiting for justice. (
Read: Haunted by serial killer, Mumbai suburb waits for DNA tests)
"She was playing outside and suddenly she was gone. I sent my wife and baby son away to the village," he said.
Javed's arrest is an important breakthrough, but clearly, the police job is not yet done.
There's a sense of disbelief about the arrest among the residents and it will take some time for the fear and anger to die down.