Palghar, March 31 The police solved the mystery surrounding the headless body found stuffed in a plastic bag in the Palghar district within eight hours of its discovery and arrested two men for murder, which is prima facie a consequence of a financial dispute between two business partners, officials said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-III, Virar) Suhas Bavche stated that the breakthrough came after a meticulous investigation by the Crime Detection Team of the Palghar police station under the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) jurisdiction.
"The investigation began on March 30, around 1 AM, after the headless body of an unidentified man was found dumped in the bushes near Palghar, Sopara Phata. The body had been stuffed into a plastic bag along with several valuables," Bavche said.
He said the police faced a challenging task of identifying the victim and analyzed suspicious vehicle movements in the area.
The deceased has been identified as 32-year-old Ashok Singh Karam Singh Rajput, a native of Pali from Rajasthan.
Police said one of the suspects, and Rajput, were partners in a grocery business. A dispute over financial dealings led the accused to orchestrate the killing.
"The accused, with the help of his accomplice, allegedly beat Rajput with bamboo sticks and beheaded him with a sharp weapon to prevent identification. They also stabbed Rajput multiple times," an official said.
After dumping the body in Palghar, the duo allegedly threw the severed head and the victim's mobile phone into a river near Shirsath Phata. Using drone surveillance and forensic experts, the police successfully recovered the head and the phone from the riverbank bushes.
The police have registered a case under Sections 103 (1) (Murder) and 238 (Causing disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).