Gaming addiction, PF fraud led to Kurla youth’s murder; accused held after six months

Mumbai Police arrested a 20-year-old for allegedly drowning a man over a ₹30,000 debt linked to a provident fund withdrawal.

MUMBAI: Nearly six months after a 26-year-old man drowned in the Mithi river in Kurla, Mumbai Police have arrested a 20-year-old gaming addict for allegedly pushing him into the river to evade repaying ₹30,000 siphoned off from the victim’s provident fund (PF) account.

Gaming addiction, PF fraud led to Kurla youth’s murder; accused held after six months

Police identified the deceased as Rahul Kumar Yogendra Prasad Kharvar, 26, a resident of Bail Bazar in Kurla West, who worked with a private firm. He was reported missing on July 24, 2025, after he failed to return home. When repeated enquiries with friends and relatives yielded no results, his family approached the Vinoba Bhave Nagar police.

“We registered a missing person’s case and tracked his mobile phone. We also questioned his friends and relatives, but there were no concrete leads initially,” a police officer said.

The breakthrough came last week when Kharvar’s family pointed investigators towards Ankit Shahu, 20, a resident of Kranti Nagar in Kurla West. Shahu was known to the victim as his mother and Kharvar worked in the same company.

According to police, Kharvar had sought Shahu’s help to withdraw money from his PF account, as he was not technically adept. Taking advantage of this, Shahu allegedly transferred ₹30,000 to his own bank account and later spent the entire amount on online gaming.

When Kharvar discovered the unauthorised withdrawal, he demanded the money back. Shahu allegedly sent him a screenshot of a UPI transaction claiming the amount had been returned. However, Kharvar maintained that no such credit reflected in his bank account, leading to frequent disputes between the two.

After investigators learnt about the financial dispute, Shahu was interrogated again, during which he allegedly confessed to the crime. “On July 24, Shahu took Kharvar to the bank of the Mithi river near the airport wall, close to their residences in Bail Bazar. While Kharvar was watching aeroplanes, Shahu pushed him into the river around 8 pm,” the officer said.

Police have registered a case under sections 103 (murder), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen an offender) and 316 (criminal breach of trust) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with section 66 of the Information Technology Act.

“We have strong technical evidence, including financial transaction records, call detail records and tower location data placing both men at the spot at the time of the incident. Efforts are on to trace the body in the Mithi River,” the officer added.