26 February,2026 07:44 PM IST | Navi Mumbai | Amarjeet Singh
An autopsy report confirmed that teh deceased died due to injuries sustained during an assault, police said. Representational Pic/File
In a chilling case from Rabale MIDC in Navi Mumbai city of Maharashtra, a 31-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by four men over suspected scrap theft, and his body was later dumped in a drain to destroy evidence, officials said.
The deceased has been identified as Sandeep Laxmikant Vishwakarma (31), a resident of Mankhurd, Mumbai. His body was found on February 16 within the jurisdiction of Rabale MIDC police station.
Initially registered as an accidental death, the case took a grim turn after the post-mortem report confirmed death due to assault injuries.
Police have registered a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
With no immediate identification, the Crime Branch launched a technical probe. Mobile phone analysis revealed that Vishwakarma was last traced near Kopari, Sector 26, Vashi, where he had met a scrap dealer.
Further investigations revealed that on February 15, the victim was allegedly caught stealing electric pole wires and DP materials. He was taken to a godown beneath a bridge where he was assaulted by four accused.
Police sources said that after the assault, accused Sanket Jagtap allegedly extorted money from the scrap dealer via phone and later, along with another accused, transported the body in a rickshaw before dumping it in a drain in the MIDC area.
Within 48 hours, the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch arrested four accused who have been identified as Pritam Bharat Bhoir (26) from Koparkhairane, Shivaji Shankar Dumbre (57), a Juinagar resident, Amol Ramesh Gunjal (31) from Sanpada and Sanket Rajaram Jagtap alias Babya (29) from Turbhe MIDC.
