Man kills co-worker over monetary dispute, held from Gujarat dockyard

After searching over 200 ships, the police found the accused working as a welder with a changed identity. The vessel was set to sail in a few days and he had planned to flee, the police said

Mumbai: An employee of a private firm in Vasai was arrested on Saturday for allegedly killing his colleague earlier this month. On the run for over 20 days, the police nabbed him from Okha port in Gujarat.

Man kills co-worker over monetary dispute, held from Gujarat dockyard

According to the police, the incident occurred on September 7, when the owner of Synergy Hygiene Company, located at Kaman in Vasai transferred money to one of the firm’s employees, Sunil Prajapati’s account to cover his and his colleague, Dilip Saroj’s food and accommodation expenses. Prajapati allegedly withheld Saroj’s share, which angered him, leading to an argument. “During the altercation, Prajapati attacked Saroj with a hard object, inflicting severe injuries on his head, back, eyes and hands, after which he fled the city,” said a police officer.

The police said that other workers of the firm then rushed Saroj to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. Subsequently, the police registered a case against Prajapati under Section 103(1) (murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The police then formed two teams to trace the absconding accused and acting on a tip-off, they held him from the dockyard of Okha port in Dwarka, Gujarat. “After searching over 200 ships, we found Prajapati working as a welder with a changed identity. The vessel was set to sail in a few days and he had planned to flee,” the officer added.

Prajapati was arrested and brought to Mumbai on Saturday, and on Sunday, he was produced before a court, which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.