Art director's murder: Cops nab vendor

Mohammed Furkan was the last to see Krishnendu Chowdhury alive and was also the one who alerted cops; money dispute suspected

The 35-year-old art director Krishnendu Chouwdhury, whose body was found in a creek in Virar on Friday, was allegedly killed by his friend. Police sources said one of the complainants who registered the missing person complaint was the killer, and the motive was non-payment of money. He has been arrested. However, police are yet to arrest his two accomplices.

Chouwdhury's friends Chinmoy Mandal and Mohammed Furkan Shaikh had registered the missing complaint on August 8. Police sources said Shaikh allegedly killed Chouwdhury in his godown at Bhati village in Madh Island on August 7, with the help of two of his friends (police suspect they are his relatives), and later dumped the body in Virar. Police sources said during interrogation, Shaikh confessed to the crime and revealed the names of the other accused. They said there was a dispute over money between the duo.

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Shaikh owed Chouwdhury some money for work and due to the delay, he (Chouwdhury) had angrily abused him a couple of times on the phone. On the night of the incident, sources said Shaikh called Chouwdhury on the pretext of giving the money. But he and his accomplices instead allegedly stabbed the art director multiple times in his chest, abdomen and neck with a sharp weapon.

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To misguide the police, Shaikh then left Chouwdhury's car in Charkop, Kandivali and took his body in his Skoda to Virar and threw it in the creek. Sources said police suspected Shaikh's role when his employee said Chouwdhury had come to the godown and he had even given him water to drink. However, Shaikh had told them the employee had left by 5 pm. After the accused's confession the Malwani police handed him to the Virar police. It was revealed that after killing Chouwdhury, the other two accused allegedly involved in the crime, fled to Bijnaur village in Uttar Pradesh.

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