Vasai: 'Helpful' stranger, who killed deaf & mute man for ₹ 1K, held

In a horrifying incident, which also puts a question mark on human conscience, a 21-year-old youth murdered a deaf and dumb man for a mere ₹1,000 under the guise of helping him.

Accused held within 72 hours after body was found

The accused, who has been identified as Yashwardhan Ashok Jha (21), was arrested by the crime branch unit of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) in less than 72 hours after he committed the crime on Tuesday (20, December).

According to the police, they were informed about a body lying in an isolated area in Naigaon. The deceased was identified as-Sunil Tiwari (31), a deaf and dumb man who had come from a village in Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh) to Mumbai by train on the fateful day. Investigations revealed that Tiwari was supposed to go to his brother’s home in Nallasopara, but his body was mysteriously found in Naigaon.

Strangulated the man for ₹ 1000 he was carrying: accused

The crime branch team headed by police inspector’s-Rahul Raakh and Shahuraj Ranaware started investigations by scanning CCTV footage and activating their informer network in the region. The team zeroed in on the accused who stays in Juchandra village of Naigaon near Vasai. After rounds of sustained interrogations, the accused confessed that he had strangulated Tiwari with a cotton towel to rob him of Rs. 1,000 he was carrying.

“After reaching Mumbai, the deceased had apparently sought help from the accused to call his brother about his arrival. However, the accused lied to him that his brothers’ phone was not reachable and under the pretext of giving him shelter until contact was established, took him to Naigaon and strangulated him," said DCP (Crime)- Avinash Ambure.

Accused booked for murder, remanded police custody

The accused also smashed the face of the deceased with stones before fleeing the spot. An offence under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) has been registered at the Valiv police station against the accused who has been remanded to police custody. Further investigations were underway.