More than 13 years after he evaded the police dragnet after brutally murdering his employer in Vasai, the killer (now aged 39 years) finally landed into the custody of the crime detection unit attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police on Monday.
Police had recovered body in 2010
According to the police, they had recovered the body of the deceased identified as Pandhari Shamu Rajbhar (25) in the Sasu-Navghar area on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway near Kashimira on September 15, 2010. The body with hands tied had strangulations marks. An offence under section 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) was registered at the Manekpur police station against the accused identified as Sanjay Gama Bharadwaj.
Accused remained elusive for more than 13 years
However, the accused remained elusive for more than 13 years. While reinvestigating unsolved cases, the crime detection unit led by API Sachin Sanap under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector-Sampatrao Patil, got some crucial leads on the virtue of their informer network and electronic surveillance. The accused who was frequently changing his locations in Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai was finally arrested from Chakala in Andheri.
Accused killed employer after being denied ₹5,000 advance payment
Investigations revealed that the accused worked as a helper at the fabrication company run by the deceased. Irate over being denied ₹5,000 advance payment, Bharadwaj hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Rajbhar. He accosted Rajbhar to a deserted area in Sasu-Navghar where he strangled him to death and dumped the body in a mound of debris. While Bharadwaj has been remanded to custody, further investigations are underway.
