Police record statements of 14 witnesses who shot videos of Vasai murder

Police record statements of witnesses to murder of Aarti Yadav by boyfriend with spanner. Hunt for man who tried to intervene ongoing. Accused in custody.

MUMBAI: The police have recorded the statements of 14 witnesses who had shot videos of the gruesome murder of 22-year-old Aarti Yadav in Vasai on June 18, when her boyfriend Rohit Yadav allegedly battered her to death with a spanner on a busy road in broad daylight.

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However, the police haven’t yet been able to find the man who tried to intervene when the accused was assaulting Aarti. The police are hunting for the man, an important witness in the case.

The police have also recorded the statement of the owner of the factory from where Rohit allegedly stole the spanner a week before the murder. Rohit had gone to the factory for an interview, according to the police.

The spanner was recovered by the police following Rohit’s arrest minutes after the murder. The 29-year-old was found sitting near the victim’s body. He was arrested under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and produced in court on Wednesday, where he was remanded to police custody till June 24.

“Since the accused is in custody and the murder weapon was also recovered, we are collecting evidence against Rohit, which includes the videos that captured him in the act,” said a police officer from Waliv police station.