Thane, May 5 (PTI) Police have arrested three individuals, including a woman, in connection with the murder of a man from Maharashtra’s Nashik district, whose body was found in Thane district, and they suspect the crime was a fallout of an extramarital affair, an official said on Monday.
The arrests were made following a joint operation by the Local Crime Branch (LCB) and the Shahapur police in the district, a senior officer said.
The arrested accused were identified by the police as Vasim Pathan (32), Rahul Gunjal (24) and the woman, Shital Keshav Fodse.
An investigation was initiated after the body of an unidentified man, estimated to be aged between 25 and 30 years, was found on the roadside in Umbarkhand village on April 30. The Shahapur police filed a case under BNS sections related to murder and destruction of evidence against unidentified individuals after a post-mortem examination revealed injuries indicative of homicide, he said.
Two teams were formed to crack the case, one led by Senior Inspector (SI) Suresh Manore of the LCB and the other by SI Jitendra Thakur of the Shahapur police. The teams visited the crime scene, reviewed CCTV footage, and scrutinized missing persons reports from across the state, according to the official.
Their efforts yielded a crucial lead when they identified the deceased as Ashok Sukhdeo Madhe, a resident of Savtamalinagar in Sinnar taluka of Nashik district, around 150km from Thane. His body was dumped in Thane district to destroy evidence, he said.
Subsequent inquiries in Madhe’s village revealed he was last been seen with one Vasim Pathan, also from the same village, and had not returned home, the official said.
Police detained Pathan, 32, who, upon interrogation, confessed to the murder and later his associate, Gunjal, 24, was arrested, he said.
Further investigation found the duo committed the crime under instructions of Shital Fodse, a resident of Bahandardara Wadi under Igatpuri taluka of Nashik district, and she was subsequently arrested, according to the official.
The investigation revealed the murder was a result of an extramarital affair between the victim and Shital Fodse, who allegedly hired Pathan and Gunjal to eliminate Madhe after their relationship soured, he added. PTI COR RSY
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