Cloth merchant case: Cops exhume body for DNA test, accused confess to murder

The exhumed body is suspected to belong to Narendra Mishra, who went missing from Nalasopara on March 4. Pics/Hanif Patel

Two days after this paper reported how the police allegedly botched the investigation of the disappearance and suspected murder of cloth merchant Narendra Mishra, the cops are finally digging deeper to find the truth. Narendra, 32, had gone missing from Nalasopara on March 4. Three days later, the police found a body resembling him in the Padgha forests in Bhiwandi. But his family never got a chance to identify the body, as the cops promptly buried it.

The Padgha police yesterday got permission from the court to exhume the body, as per the wishes of the Narendra's family, the corpse will be sent to JJ hospital for post-mortem and a DNA test to determine whether these are his remains.

Narendra Mishra

Arrest, confession
The Tulinj police are investigating the case, but the family had earlier alleged that the cops were shielding the accused. Narendra's wife and brother had suspected that he was murdered by one of his past customers, Rohit Singh, who owed him R8 lakh. On the day he disappeared, Rohit had called him to a hotel to hand over the money. Narendra never returned home.

The Tulinj police have since arrested Rohit, 34, on the charges of kidnapping and murder. Rohit earlier ran a cloth shop and owed Narendra R8 lakh for dealings in 2015. He later shut the cloth shop and started a security business. The police have also arrested two of his employees as accomplices in the crime - business manager Rakesh Singh, 42, and guard Raj Jadhav, 31.

Earlier, the police had claimed that the accused's phone records showed that they were not near the spot where the body was found. However, upon interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime. Sources from the police said, "Rohit called the victim to the hotel on the pretext of returning his money.

Rohit, with the help of his manager Rakesh and staffer Raj, kidnapped the victim in a car and took him to Padgha. The trio stone the victim to death. We zeroed in on the accused with the help of CCTV cameras and technical details."

Cop under inquiry
Narendra's family have alleged that a police officer was hand-in-glove with the accused, covering up for them. Sub-Divisional Officer (Nalasopara) Dutta Totewar told mid-day, "We have ordered an internal inquiry in the matter."

Also Read: Mumbai Crime: Cops Cremate Body Resembling Missing Man, Family Alleges Foul Play

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