Bhayander Youth Killed In Illegal Liquor Distillery Blast, Body Allegedly Burned To Conceal Crime; 3 Arrested

Bhayander Youth Killed In Illegal Liquor Distillery Blast, Body Allegedly Burned To Conceal Crime; 3 Arrested

Three people have reportedly been arrested after a fatal gas cylinder explosion at an alleged illegal country-liquor unit in Uttan, Bhayander. Police suspect the accused burned victim Ritu Choudhary's body using diesel and fabricated an accidental fire story to conceal the operation. The Crime Branch uncovered the alleged cover-up.

Kirti KesarkarUpdated: Thursday, November 05, 2026, 07:01 PM IST
Bhayander Youth Killed In Illegal Liquor Distillery Blast, Body Allegedly Burned To Conceal Crime; 3 Arrested
Bhayander Youth Killed In Illegal Liquor Distillery Blast, Body Allegedly Burned To Conceal Crime; 3 Arrested | File Pic (Representative Image)

Bhayander: In the Uttan area, a young man died following a gas cylinder explosion at an illegal country-liquor (haatbhatti) unit. Instead of reporting the accident, the accused attempted to cover up the incident by burning the victim's body and misleading the police with a fake narrative. The Crime Branch has arrested three people in connection with the case.

An illegal country-liquor manufacturing unit was being operated on government land in the Uttan area. Sebastian Mendosa, his brother Sandeep Mendosa, and Ritu Choudhary were involved in brewing the liquor. While they were heating water, a gas cylinder suddenly exploded.

Victim's Body Burned To Conceal Incident

Ritu Choudhary suffered severe burn injuries and died on the spot, while Sebastian and Sandeep sustained burn injuries. Fearing that their illegal liquor operation would be exposed, the two men shifted Ritu’s body to a worker's room, poured diesel over it, and set the room on fire.

To cover up the crime, Sebastian’s wife, Carol Mendosa, gave a false statement to the Uttan Coastal Police claiming that a worker had died due to a cylinder explosion while cooking food. Initially, the Uttan Coastal Police registered the case as an accidental death.

Accused Flee And Mislead Investigators

Following the incident, Sebastian fled to Igatpuri, while Sandeep got admitted to Nair Hospital in Mumbai for treatment. Sandeep had claimed at the hospital that he suffered burn injuries after hot water accidentally spilled on him in the bathroom.

However, suspicion arose, prompting the Crime Branch to conduct technical investigations and gather secret intelligence. Based on this, the Crime Branch tracked down and detained Sebastian from Igatpuri, which exposed the entire plot. Subsequently, his wife Carol was also arrested for misleading the police.

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Culpable Homicide Case Registered

The Uttan Coastal Police have registered a case against the accused for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence, and further investigation is underway.

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