Navi Mumbai, Feb 26: A 31-year-old man was beaten to death on suspicion of stealing electric wires in the Mahape MIDC area, and the Navi Mumbai Police Crime Branch cracked the case within 48 hours, arresting four accused after tracking digital payment transactions and CCTV footage.
Body found near drain
The victim, Sandeep Laxmikant Vishwakarma (31), a resident of Mankhurd, had been missing since February 15. His body was found in a suspicious condition near a drain in the Mahape MIDC area on February 16.
Though initially suspected to be an accidental death, the post-mortem report revealed grievous external and internal injuries, confirming that he had been brutally assaulted. Following the report, a murder case was registered at Rabale MIDC Police Station and an intensive probe was launched.
Simultaneously, Crime Branch Unit-I began a parallel investigation. Technical analysis revealed that Vishwakarma’s last location was in Vashi. Police found that he had contacted a scrap dealer in Sector 26, Vashi, shortly before his death. During questioning, the scrap dealer disclosed that a group of men had forcibly taken both him and Vishwakarma to a warehouse in Mahape.
Digital trail leads to arrests
Police discovered that while Vishwakarma was being assaulted inside the warehouse, one of the accused extorted money from the scrap dealer through a PhonePe transaction. By tracking the digital payment trail, police zeroed in on Sanket Rajaram Jagtap alias Babya (29). Upon interrogation, he confessed to the crime and named his accomplices.
“Vishwakarma was allegedly caught red-handed stealing electric DP and pole wires in the Mahape area. Enraged, the four accused allegedly thrashed him mercilessly, leading to his death. In an attempt to destroy evidence, they later dumped his body near a drain using an autorickshaw driven by one of the accused,” a police officer said.
The arrested accused have been identified as Pritam Bharat Bhoir (26), Shivaji Shankar Dumbare (57), Amol Ramesh Gunjal (31), and Sanket Rajaram Jagtap alias Babya (29).
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The accused were produced before the court, which remanded them to police custody for further investigation. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner of Police Prerna Katte and led by Senior Police Inspector Tanaji Bhagat, along with Assistant Inspectors Nilesh Bankar, Anant Lamb, and their team. Further investigation is underway.
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