BHOPAL: A 46-year-old man was allegedly murdered by two men late on Sunday night in TT Nagar here. The police found the body on Monday morning while his injured friend, lying unconscious near him, was rushed to a nearby hospital.
After an investigation spanning eight hours, the police arrested the two accused from their residences in Panchsheel Nagar in TT Nagar locality. They confessed to the crime and said they killed the man over liquor, the police said.
According to the police, on Monday morning, they received information about a body lying near a country liquor shop in Panchasheel Nagar. During initial investigations they came to know about his identity as Ashok Patil, a labourer residing in the slums in TT Nagar. The severely injured friend was identified Mukesh Thakur, 35, of Bairagarh who is said to be in serious condition and undergoing treatment at the district hospital.
“The police after registering a case under relevant sections of IPC, launched a manhunt and arrested accused Santosh Lodhe, 19 and Sumit Lodhe, 24. They said late on Sunday night they were in search of alcohol as the local liquor shop was closed after scheduled timings. They saw Patil and his friend with alcohol and asked them to hand it over to them. The two refused to do so after which the accused got enraged and hit them with sticks on their heads. Patil died on the spot while Thakur fell on the ground after sustaining serious injuries,” said SP (Bhopal South), Siddharth Bahuguna during a press conference. “The two were nabbed based on a tip-off. They would soon be presented before the court for further proceedings,” added Bahuguna.