A shocking incident unfolded as a 20-year-old waiter named Rajan Sharma, employed at Prince Hotel near Thane railway station in Thane, fled to Nepal following a gruesome murder of a 65-year-old man on May 27. After an intense 26-hour operation, the Thanenagar police team successfully apprehended Sharma at the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh on June 6, according to a statement by a police officer from Thanenagar police station on Wednesday.
The police officer from Thanenagar police station revealed that Rajan Sharma committed the heinous act of murdering the elderly man out of sheer greed for money. Shockingly, the victim had placed his trust in Rajan, providing him with his debit card and the password to access his funds. However, upon discovering the substantial amount in the account, Rajan hatched a sinister plan to kill the unsuspecting old man.
Victim Karabhai Suva | Pic: Prashant Narvekar
Ganesh Gawade, DCP, Zone-1, Thane, stated, "The deceased, Karabhai Suva, a resident of the Rajkot area in Gujarat, had visited Prince Hotel for some business purposes. On May 27, his lifeless body was discovered in room number 303 of the hotel, bearing signs of a brutal attack. Upon receiving information about the incident, the police team from Thanenagar police station promptly arrived at the scene. The hotel's staff members were interrogated as part of the investigation, during which it was noticed that Rajan Sharma, who had been employed there for approximately 20 days, was missing. Consequently, a case was filed against Rajan at Thanenagar police station."
Gawade stated, "Under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police Mahesh Patil, a team was formed consisting of other senior officials, as well as Senior Police Inspector Jairaj Ranvare and Inspector Anil Taksande from Thanenagar police station. Through technical analysis, it was revealed that Rajan had traveled to Ratnagiri after committing the murder. Following the incident, Rajan stole the victim's debit card and withdrew 80 thousand rupees before fleeing to Ratnagiri. When our police team arrived in Ratnagiri, Rajan had already escaped. Subsequently, we received information that he had fled to Karnataka."
"Our team pursued him to Karnataka, but he managed to evade capture once again. Through reliable sources, we received information that Rajan was boarding a train to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh. Since trains from Karnataka pass through Nagpur railway station on their way to Uttar Pradesh, our team went to Nagpur, but he was not found there either. Based on further information from our sources, we proceeded to Uttar Pradesh and learned that he had arrived in Gorakhpur on May 31. Despite our search efforts in Gorakhpur, he had clandestinely left for Nepal," he added.
"Further, based on technical analysis, the police received information that Rajan would attempt to return to Uttar Pradesh on either June 5 or 6. In response, the police strategically laid a trap on the Indo-Nepal border. After an extensive 26-hour operation, Rajan was apprehended by the police. During the interrogation, he confessed to the police team that he committed the murder of the elderly man out of greed for money," informed Gawade.
One of the police officers stated, "During our investigation, we discovered that Rajan was studying science. He began working at Prince Hotel in Thane during the first week of May. It was revealed that the victim, Karabhai, would often stay at Prince Hotel whenever he visited Thane."
