Navi Mumbai Crime: 35-Year-Old Man Arrested For Murder Of 60-Year-Old Scrap Dealer In Panvel

Navi Mumbai: The unit II of Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested the accused, who had fled after murdering a 60 year old scrap dealer from Vavanje village in Panvel taluka. The accused identified as Shrikant Ramakbal Tiwari (35) was nabbed on Wednesday.

The deceased, Yakub Yunus Khan (60) was killed and his body was dumped near a farm in Morbe village on October 26 which was found only on November 2 while investigating the missing case of Khan.

“Prima facie, the accused has revealed that he committed the murder as the deceased used to often bad mouth about his wife and father which irked him. The further investigations would be done by Panvel police who would investigate if there is any other reason behind the murder,” police inspector Umesh Gavali from Unit II of Navi Mumbai Crime Branch said.

The deceased, Khan, was a scrap dealer in Vavanje village, while the accused, Tiwari, made his living by driving an auto-rickshaw in the same village. Khan’s son Imran and Tiwari were friends. On October 26 Tiwari asked kHan to accompany him to Agarwal Farm, for some work.

“The accused travelled with Khan on scooter. The scooter belonged to Khan. As per the cctv footage, Tiwari was seen riding pillion while going towards Morbe village but came back alone riding the same scooty and hence he had been the prime suspect behind the missing of Khan. Later when the body of Khan was found, a case of murder was registered,” Gavali added.

Tiwari had left back his mobile phone at home and had been wandering in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and finally, when the police received an information that he was to meet a relative at Badshahpur in Uttar Pradesh, they laid a trap there and nabbed him.

“Tiwari had killed Khan with a sharp weapon by stabbing him in the back and then strangling him to death. Later, Tiwari disposed Khan's scooter into a pond. The weapon used for murder is to be recovered yet,” the officer added.

The accused was presented before the court on Wednesday and has been remanded to police custody till November 11.