The Pant Nagar police on Saturday arrested Sachin Pawar — a BJP member and former personal assistant to state cabinet minister for housing department Prakash Mehta — and a police constable, Dinesh Pawar, in connection with the murder of Ghatkopar-based diamond merchant Rajeshwar Udani. The motive for the murder, the police said, was a fight over a female friend of Sachin's.

According to the police, both the accused abducted Udani, and took him to Panvel in a car, where he was beaten and strangulated. The police are investigating if there are more people involved in the crime. Television actor Debolina Bhattacharya was also grilled for six hours in connection with the murder, but officers refused to divulge any information.