Vishal Mehrotra murder case reopened after 42 years
Sussex police will reportedly reopen the case of an eight-year-old boy of Indian origin who murder in London in 1981 after watching the royal wedding parade of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Vishal Mehrotra‘s remains were found in Rogate, West Sussex, seven months later, but no one has been convicted of his murder despite the police interviewing more than 14,000 individuals.
Following criticism from Vishal’s father about the police’s failure to reinvestigate the case, officers met with him and stated that detectives had been given a clear direction to advance the case. A BBC podcast revealed new information, including a possible link between Vishal’s murder and a document named “Vishal,” which was discovered in the possession of a convicted pedophile, and the police apologized for not recognizing this connection.
Nicholas Douglass, a convicted pedophile who wrote a document about a boy he was abusing in 1983, may have a potential link to the murder of Vishal Mehrotra. Vishal’s remains were found buried in a bog on a property where Douglass was known to have abused children.
The document titled “Vishal,” which was discovered in Douglass’s possession, had been held by Sussex police since the 1990s but was only connected to Vishal’s murder four years ago.
Sussex police have apologized for not recognizing the connection earlier and have reopened the case, promising to identify those responsible for Vishal’s death. However, Vishal’s father expressed skepticism about the thoroughness of the investigation.
