By Mukesh 
A search for Nida Khan leads to a closed door in Thane’s Mumbra, in a cramped neighbourhood. The door is secured with a heavy lock. Mumbra police officer PI Sawant confirms: “It was locked when the police arrived. It remains locked on a subsequent visit.” A neighbour, speaking from her doorstep, says the apartment was rented only two months ago by Ms. Khan’s husband, who works in logistics. The family originally comes from Bhiwandi. “We have rarely seen them come home,” she adds. “The house stays locked ninety percent of the time.” Neighbours say they have barely ever seen Nida in the house where her husband and her mother-in-law were seen primarily.
Other neighbours, however, were not ready to talk at all about the case. Some shut their doors. Others looked away when asked. The silence in the lane feels as heavy as the lock on Ms. Khan’s door.