MUMBAI, May 12 -- Fire brigade officials who rushed to douse flames in an isolated patch of dry vegetation in Vasai West on Monday were in for a startling surprise after the blaze exposed human skeletal remains hidden in the bushes near the railway tracks in Manikpur. According to the police, the skeleton came to light after a fire broke out in the dried vegetation, burning away the shrubbery and exposing the remains. Officials recovered a skull and leg bones from the spot. Investigators suspect the body had decomposed over time and reduced to a skeleton before the remains were partially scorched in the fire. Police officials said it was difficult to immediately ascertain whether the remains belonged to a man or a woman, or whether the death was natural or linked to foul play. The bones have been sent for forensic examination, and investigators are awaiting the report to determine the identity of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding the death. The discovery has revived memories of a similar case reported from the same locality barely four months ago. In February, a male skeleton was found inside an abandoned water tank at a chawl in Manikpur. The remains in that case were also sent to a forensic laboratory for identification, though the report is still awaited. Senior police inspector Harilal Jadhav said there appears to be no connection between the two cases. "The skeletal remains found on Monday were later scorched in the fire. At present, there is nothing to suggest a link with the earlier case," he said. Investigators have also not ruled out the possibility that the deceased may have been a beggar or a transient person who died in the secluded stretch near the railway tracks. An accidental death report has been registered at the Manikpur police station and further investigation is underway. "We are still awaiting the forensic report to identify the skeletal remains found four months ago," Jadhav added....