Man who smashed girlfriend’s head in Vasai found dead in Bihar

Cops inquire with staffers of hotel Aastha. Pics/Hanif Patel

A 30-year-old man, accused of killing his girlfriend at a Vasai hotel last week, was found dead inside a hotel room in Muzaffarpur, Bihar on Sunday evening. Police suspect it to be a case of suicide.

"There were four plastic zip ties tightened around his neck. Prima facie it seems that he has committed suicide," said a police officer attached to Brahmapura police station where an accidental death report was registered on Sunday. Cops have not found any suicide note from the deceased, Sagar Arun Naik, but recovered a bundle of plastic zip ties from his bag.

Sagar Arun Naik, the deceased; (right) The hotel room where he was found dead, in Muzaffarpur, Bihar

Naik, a mechanical engineer, had checked into hotel Aastha in Muzaffarpur on March 5 afternoon. "He was supposed to check out on March 6, but he did not. So we knocked on the door but did not get any response. We also tried to call him but could not connect, so we alerted the local police," said Ranjeet Kumar, manager of the hotel.

A team of cops reached the spot and broke open the windowpane to unlock the door. "His body was found lying face down near the bathroom. Prima facie it seems he committed suicide," said Anil Kumar Gupta, in-charge of Brahmapura police station, adding that the body has been sent for postmortem. Sources said Naik was bleeding through his mouth.

"We are probing the matter. During initial probe, we learnt that he was a murder suspect absconding from Vasai," Gupta told mid-day. Naik is the main suspect in the brutal murder of his girlfriend Sayali Shahasane. The duo had checked into a hotel in Vasai West on February 27 and Shahasne was found dead in the room the next day, with her head smashed in with a plumbing tool. Naik, who had left the hotel on February 27, had been absconding since.

"We have learnt that the Bihar Police have recovered Naik's body from a hotel. He was the prime suspect in a murder case registered at Vasai police station. We are verifying if he is the same person," said DCP Sanjay Kumar Patil, attached to Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police. He added, "Our investigation will not stop as we are yet to find the actual cause which triggered Naik to kill the woman."

Sources have told mid-day that Naik's relatives and a team of cops from Vasai have arrived in Muzaffarpur to identify the body.