Mumbai: An 85-year-old doctor was allegedly killed by his caretaker in Mumbai's Khar on Monday.
Dr. Murlidhar P Naik , who was living in a flat on the third floor of Helena building, Centra Avenue Road, near Ramkrishna Mission, Khar (West) was killed by tying his hands and feet , putting a handkerchief in his mouth and strangling him in the morning when Naik's wife was in another room. The Police suspect that the murder may have been for theft.
Caretaker used to stay with the couple
Dr. Naik, lived with his wife Dr. Uma Naik, while his two sons and daughter lived in different parts of Mumbai. Since they were staying alone, the couple had engaged a caretaker, Krishnaman Bahadur Periyar, early this month to primarily look after the senior Naik. The Naiks had also employed a cook-cum-maid who would leave the flat after completing her work. After that Periyar would come to stay with the couple during the day and night. Periyar would sleep in the same room as Dr. Naik so that he may be of assistance at night.
Dr. Uma Naik got up and found that her husband's room door was ajar. She stepped into the room and was shocked when she found that her husband was not responding to her calls. She immediately informed her son living at Vile Parle, who, in turn, summoned the Santa Cruz police in whose jurisdiction the scene of crime was located.
Periyar strangled doctor to death and fled
The police said a gold chain and a rudraksha mala were missing. Apparently, the caretaker strangled the doctor to death and fled. The body was sent for post-mortem and a manhunt has been launched for Periyar. The crime branch is making parallel inquiries. The CCTV footage of the building has been seized by the police for investigation. It is not clear if the caretaker was directly employed by the Naik’s family or recruited through a manpower agency. The police are repeatedly appealing to citizens to have the criminal background of their servants verified before employing them.
