The Navi Mumbai police have arrested a man in connection with the death of a senior citizen, whose body was recovered from a pit in Ulve area last week, an official said on Saturday.
The police have arrested Mohanlal Ganaram Chowdhary, a grocery shop owner, for allegedly killing Shyamkant Naik (80) and dumping his body in a water-filled pit, the official said.
The police had spotted the body of an unidentified person floating in a water filled pit in sector no 19 of Ulve on September 4, he said
An autopsy revealed that the victim had been strangled with a nylon rope and dumped in the pond, following which a case of murder was registered, the official said.
Based on the missing persons record in the area, the "rakhi" on the victim's body and the dentures, the police established the identity of the victim Naik, who had been missing since August 29, he said.
During the probe, the police detained Chowdhary, who confessed to have killed the victim after he reportedly made advances at his wife.
The victim used to supply kerosene to the accused's shop and frequently visited the latter's establishment, the official said.
When Naik visited the accused's shop on August 29, the latter banged his head against the shop's counter and strangled him with a rope, he said.
The accused later stripped the victim and dumped the body in the pit, the official said, adding that further probe is underway.
