A pair of glasses and a metal rod helped Navi Mumbai police solve a murder in three days after finding a body near the Kopar Khairane railway station. On Monday, the victim’s 28-year-old son was arrested for murder.
Danaya Kalipilli, 49, had come to Navi Mumbai a few hours before his murder on Friday. He used to work as a welder at a private company and had moved back to his native place, Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, two years ago.
On Friday evening, Kalipilli arrived in Navi Mumbai and was going home with his son Hemaraju. They were travelling on the Thane-bound train from Juinagar, where Hemaraju works as welder.
They alighted at Kopar Khairane. Kalipilli was heavily drunk and got into an argument with Hemaraju.
They were walking along the station’s boundary wall and continued fighting. In a fit of rage, Kalipilli said he would not go to Hemaraju’s house in Bonkode village in Kopar Khairane. Police said Hemaraju, too, got angry as he was verbally abusing his son.
Hemraju was carrying his welding rod and a knife — his work tools. He allegedly hit his father on the head, stabbed him twice in the stomach with the knife and then stabbed him in the throat with the rod before fleeing.
{{/usCountry}}Hemraju was carrying his welding rod and a knife — his work tools. He allegedly hit his father on the head, stabbed him twice in the stomach with the knife and then stabbed him in the throat with the rod before fleeing.
{{/usCountry}}The next morning, when commuters found the body and alerted the police, there were no documents to establish the victim’s identity. During the investigation, police found a clue in the spectacles found at the scene. Kalipilli had bought them when he lived in Kopar Khairane a few years ago.
The police found another clue on the metal rod used for the murder. A unique serial number painted on the metal piece led the police to Hemaraju’s workplace, said police sources. The police traced Hemaraju’s address and questioned him for hours before arresting him.
During the interrogation, police learnt that Kalipilli was an alcoholic and used to beat his wife. He once brutally assaulted his wife, breaking her jaw. She had to undergo surgery which cost ₹70,000. The woman did not file a case against her husband, fearing more beating.
“We arrested Hemaraju on Monday. Our investigations revealed he did not like his father’s drinking habit and the violence against his mother. But we are investigating to establish a motive,” said Suryakant Jagdale, senior inspector at Kopar Khairane police station.
A Vashi court remanded Hemaraju in police custody till November 23.