Thane: Dombivli man kills 65-yr-old neighbour to pay betting dues

Police said the accused, Yashwant Satish Vichare, entered the victim’s apartment on the pretext of drinking water. Pic/Navneet Barhate

The Vishnu Nagar police in Dombivli have arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly strangulating a 65-year-old woman to death during a burglary attempt to feed his addiction to online cricket betting.

The victim, retired government hospital worker Asha Arvind Raikar lived alone in her apartment at Vasant Niwas building, Dombivli West. According to the police, it was a neighbour who got suspicious when she saw Raikar's door latched from outside on Thursday afternoon. At night, when the door still hadn't been opened, she called Raikar and heard her mobile phone ringing inside, to no answer.

The neighbour opened the door and found Raikar's lifeless body, and the police were alerted. "The incident took place on Thursday, between 2 pm and 6 pm," said a police officer. The police found a gold chain and earrings missing, pointing to a robbery bid. Cops scrutinised CCTV footage from a nearby building and noticed the presence of the accused, Yashwant Satish Vichare, in the footage.

Vichare, who lived in the same building, claimed he had gone home for some work. "He later said he was with his friends at the time. On checking his friend's mobile phone, we found his chat with Vichare, in which the latter said he wanted to meet for a drink, as the next day he may land in jail. This clue led to Vichare's arrest," said the officer.