Palghar triple murder: Cops launch manhunt for missing tenant

House in Neharoli village where the bodies were found. Pics/Hanif Patel

The abrupt disappearance of a tenant and his family from the house in Wada taluka of Palghar district, where maggot-infested bodies of an elderly couple and their specially-abled daughter were recovered on Friday, has made him prime suspect in this triple murder case.

Mohammad Arif, in his early 30s, had rented out the Rathod property around seven months ago. He had been living with his wife and two children and would initially work as a security guard in Kudus village of the same taluka, said a source from Palghar police.

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"His abrupt disappearance is a matter of prime concern for us. At present, we cannot say if he committed the triple murder or not. But his location is untraceable," said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.

The victims, Mukund, Kanchan and Sangita Rathod

"We have learnt that, of late, Arif had started working at a furniture shop near Vaitarna… he is a native of Uttar Pradesh," added the source.

Wada police recovered the highly decomposed bodies of Mukund Rathod, 72, his wife Kanchan, 70, and their daughter Sangita, 52, from a padlocked house in Neharoli village on Friday.

"All of these bodies were infested with maggots. The size of the maggots proves that the bodies had been decomposing for nearly 15 days," suspected the investigating team from Palghar police.

Another police officer told mid-day that the body of Mukund was found between the toilet and bathroom area of the house. "There were two injury marks on his head with a blunt object," said a senior police officer, who added, "After murdering him, the killer had covered the body with bedsheets and a cotton mattress to suppress the stench."

According to the officer, the mother and daughter had a single injury mark on their heads. "The killer concealed their bodies in a large trunk in which winter clothes and other apparel were kept," the officer said.

Victims' son speaks out

The couple's elder son, Suhas, lives with his family in Rajkot (Gujarat) while the younger son Pankaj lives with his family in Virar's Yashwant Nagar.

Speaking exclusively with mid-day, Pankaj said, "I visited my parents on August 12 and handed them over R3,000 in cash. At the time, Arif's wife was also present. My parents were about to go to a hospital in Zadpoli (in Vikramgarh taluka of Palghar district). Neighbours saw my parents on August 16 when they returned," said Pankaj who is the complainant in the case.

Pankaj recalled that Suhas had last spoken to their father at 11.55 am on August 17. "My father was out at the time and told Suhas that he would call back once he was home. However, my brother did not receive any call," Pankaj said.

"Initially we assumed we couldn't contact my parents due to poor network coverage, but I became worried when their number remained unreachable. So I contacted my friend who gave me his mother's number and I requested her to visit my house in the village," he recalled.

The friend's mother visited the location and informed Pankaj that the house was locked. Pankaj and Suhas decided to visit the house in Neharoli village and found that the main gate was locked from outside. "We assumed that they might have gone to hospital. So, we both made rounds of three hospitals, checking the hospital beds. But they were not to be seen," Pankaj added.

"Since we couldn't reach them and the tenant was also not around, we started digging for details of Arif. We got his mobile number and contacted him to know the whereabouts of my parents but he said he did not know anything. I told Arif that I was going to make a police complaint against him as my parents and sister were missing but he disconnected the call," Pankaj said.

Discovering the bodies

The brothers decided to break the lock and enter the house to obtain the IMEI number of their father's phone, hoping that it would help trace him. Upon opening the door, they got a foul stench, prompting them to search the premises.

According to Pankaj, his father moved from Rajkot to Mumbai's Matunga area when he was 14 years old. After spending a few decades there, the family purchased a plot in Wada and constructed a house in which his parents and sister had been staying in for the last 25 years. "I do not know why they were mercilessly killed as we had no dispute with anyone," he added.

The police said four teams have been formed to trace the prime suspect. "We have received an Aadhaar card of the prime suspect and one team has been sent to his native place in Uttar Pradesh. We cannot say if it is the handiwork of one person or more people who are involved in this crime," said an officer attached to Wada police station.

August 31
Day bodies were discovered