Nallasopara jeweller murder: Accused duo held within 48 hours

The accused, Johnson Victor Batiste, 42, and Mohammed Afzal, 33, had allegedly been planning the murder since July and did a reccee of the shop where Jain worked alone, said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Mahesh Patil.

Nallasopara police arrested two unemployed electricians for the alleged murder of Kishore Jain, 48, owner of Sakshi Jewellers on August 21. The accused, Johnson Victor Batiste, 42, and Mohammed Afzal, 33, had allegedly been planning the murder since July and did a reccee of the shop where Jain worked alone, said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Mahesh Patil.

Photo for representational purpose only. (FILE)

The accused managed to flee with 2 kgs of silver jewellery as Jain refused to hand over the keys of two safes where around 4 kgs of gold worth ₹2 crore was stored.

Batiste is from Ahmedabad and lived in Pragati Nagar, Nallasopara (East) while Afzal hailed from Kolkata and resided in Bhayander. One of the accused had a criminal history and was held for robbery in Bandra and Juhu, said the officer. Both the accused allegedly lost their jobs during lockdown and hence came up with a plan to rob the jewellery store.

On the day of the incident, the duo allegedly reached the shop around 9am but launched an attach at 11am when Jain was busy with sweeping the shop and performing prayer. The duo tied Jain down and looted the shop. They then stabbed him several times before fleeing, said Patil.

“We formed 15 teams and deployed around 90 personnel, and on Monday we arrested the duo under sections 302 (murder) and 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to kill) of the Indian Penal Code. Both the accused have been remanded in police custody for a week. The police, however, are yet to recover the stolen silver,” said Patil.

The accused had allegedly used a gun and a fake gun, however, they stabbed the victim to avoid the sound.

Goldsmiths, jewellers and shopkeepers kept their shops closed as a protest and wanted the killers to be arrested.