Thane, Apr 29 (PTI) Police have arrested two labourers from different cities for the murder of another labourer in Navi Mumbai, cracking the case in seven days despite having no initial clues or digital
footprint, an official said on Wednesday.
The case pertains to the murder of a then-unidentified man, whose body was discovered under the Killa Signal bridge, opposite the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters building, on April 17. A case was registered at the CBD Belapur police station under section 103 (1) (punishment for murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“After registering the case, the police faced the dual challenges of identifying the deceased and searching for unknown accused who lived on pavements and under bridges. Since the suspects did not use mobile phones, social media, or other communication means, tracing them was exceptionally difficult,” according to an official release.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-2, Belapur) formed three teams from the CBD Crime Detection Cell to probe the matter. The teams analysed footage from 60 to 65 CCTV cameras and developed a network of new informants among manual laborers and pavement dwellers to identify the suspects.
“After a thorough analysis of physical evidence and CCTV footage, the team identified the deceased and the two suspects. One accused was apprehended at midnight on April 24 from a crowd of nearly 150 manual laborers sleeping in front of Cotton Green Station in Mumbai. The second accused was traced to Pune’s Gultekdi Market Yard and arrested on April 28,” said the release.
The police noted that the accused survived by doing odd jobs in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, moving frequently to evade detection.
Senior inspector Arun Pawar of the CBD Belapur police station said the victim and the arrested accused were labourers who worked on daily wages.
They often indulged in drinks in the evening and used to frequently quarrel over petty issues. During one such quarrel, the accused bludgeoned the victim to death with a stone and disfigured him before fleeing, he said. PTI COR RSY
