Mumbai: Brothers end long-term enmity with brutal murder

Police with the murder accused. Pic/Hanif Patel

The Pelhar police, in collaboration with Crime Branch Unit 2 and the Central Intelligence Unit of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate, have apprehended six individuals accused of brutally killing Sudhir Singh, a 27-year-old youth in Nalasopara on Wednesday night. The motive behind this act traces back to years of enmity, with two brothers orchestrating the murder and enlisting the help of four accomplices for the kidnapping, brutal assault, and subsequent escape. The deceased and the main accused Pandey brothers, along with some of their accomplices, have criminal records in Nalasopara.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Suraj Lallan Chavhan, 25, a painter residing in Santosh Bhavan, Nalasopara; Sahil Vishwakarma, 21, an auto driver with a private service, residing in Anna Disk Compound, Santosh Bhavan, Nalasopara; Akhilesh Sunil Singh, 27, an auto driver residing in Bilal Pada, Nalasopara; Vikas Ramkaran Pandey, 24, a labour contractor residing in Pandey Nagar; Vishal Ramkaran Pandey, 35, a contractor residing in Pandey Nagar, Nalasopara; and Surendra Kumar Pal, 27 residing in Santosh Bhavan, Nalasopara.

According to police sources, the deceased, Sudhir Singh, had a history of enmity with the accused brothers, Vishal and Vikas. Singh, who had previously resided in Nalasopara and moved to Kandivali East. But they often visited Nalasopara to meet childhood friends. The Pelhar police revealed that Singh had engaged in a dispute with Pandey's nephew, physically assaulting him and threatening the Pandey brothers through various mobile numbers.

Caught after a pursuit

Following the discovery of Singh's dead body, the Pelhar police registered a murder case and initiated the investigation that led to the arrest of the accused. The perpetrators attempted to escape in two autos after committing the crime, with Akhilesh Singh, the auto driver, fleeing to Pune. The Pelhar police, along with officers from Crime Branch Unit 2, successfully apprehended the accused from the Sinhgarh area in Pune after a pursuit of several kilometres. Vikas Pandey was caught by officials from the Central Investigation Unit (CIU).

During the interrogation, the accused confessed to their crime, revealing the motive behind Singh's murder, stated the officer in charge. The police have booked all six accused, including additional section 120(B) of IPC, in addition to the earlier charges under IPC sections 302, 364, 141, 143, 144, 147, and 149. Senior Inspector Vasant Labde of Pelhar Police Station emphasised that the Pandey brothers masterminded the conspiracy to murder Singh.

Sequence of events

Singh, a resident of Kandivali, and his nephew had visited Upadhyay Nagar near Valaipada in Nalasopara East to inspect a room with his friend Vaibhav Mishra. Around 10.30 pm on Thursday, upon learning that Singh was in Nalasopara, the Pandey brothers, along with their accomplices, orchestrated his kidnapping. Traveling in two rickshaws, they brutally attacked Singh with an iron rod, wooden sticks and sharp weapons in the Gauraipada parking lot. Subsequently, they placed him in an auto-rickshaw in an injured condition and transported him to Gavraipada bridge, where they abandoned him. The accused were quick to flee the scene after the attack in Nalasopara.

27
Age of deceased