Vanrai police say accused, who had been booked in two other murder cases, fled to his village in Haryana after waking up; CCTV footage helped nab him
On the afternoon of the day of the murder, February 23, the accused, Suresh Kaliya, Salim Nepali, and the victim, Azhar, had a heated money-related dispute, according to Vanrai police sources. ILLUSTRATIONS/UDAY MOHITE
Two men allegedly smashed their friend’s head with a rock during a drunken altercation after a fried fish the trio had planned to eat with alcohol was gobbled up by a rat. The details emerged during a probe by the Vanrai police, who cracked the case and arrested the accused, Shashipal alias Suresh Kaliya, 44, and Rajesh Ramesh Nath alias Salim Nepali, 30.
The former and latter were nabbed from Haryana and Pathanwadi in Malad East, respectively. PSI Indrajit Bhise, along with his detection team, cracked the case under the guidance of DCP Mahesh Chimte and senior inspector Grish Bane of the Vanrai police station.
How incident came to light
On February 24, the Vanrai police got a call about an unconscious man lying near a garbage dump in Hanuman Tekdi, Goregaon East
That night, fish prepared by Azhar couldn’t be eaten as a rat had got to it first. Angry and inebriated, the other two assaulted their friend with a rock
After the cops reached the spot, the man was taken to the hospital, but was declared dead before admission
The presence of multiple skull fractures raised suspicions, and a murder case was registered on March 10. The victim’s identity has not been disclosed yet, but according to sources, he was called Azhar and collected scrap for a living
The day of the murder
Morning: The deceased cooked the fish, which was to be consumed with alcohol that night, with his friends
On waking up the next day and seeing Azhar lying still, Kaliya panicked and fled to his village in Haryana
Afternoon: A dispute broke out among the trio over scrap money, but it was later resolved
Night: The trio met in Goregaon East. The accused brought the alcohol, but Azhar failed to produce the fish as a rat ate it. An argument then erupted, and the duo smashed Azhar’s head with a stone multiple times.
After the crime
>> Nepali returned to his home in Pathanwadi
>> Kaliya slept beside the body. On waking up, he panicked and fled to his village in Haryana.
Police crack case
Nepali was traced and arrested on March 11
During his interrogation, Kaliya’s identity was revealed thanks to CCTV footage from a shop where he had once bought beer
Kaliya was subsequently tracked and arrested from Haryana and was brought to Mumbai
Current status
>> Both accused are in police custody
>> They have been charged with murder
>> Further investigation is underway
Criminal past
Kaliya had been booked and arrested in two murder cases in the Dadar flower market area in 2004 and 2017, and served a jail term for a few years. In 2019, he was again booked and arrested on robbery charges at the Kurar police station.
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