Raigad murder: Cops crack murder case in 12 hours with one mobile number

Raigad police solved a murder case in 12 hours using a mobile number from a diary, leading to the arrest of three suspects involved in a revenge killing.

Navi Mumbai: In a swift investigation, the Raigad police solved a murder case within 12 hours of discovering a decomposed body dumped in a remote jungle in Mhasla taluka in the Raigad district, relying solely on a mobile number found in a small diary.

Raigad murder: Cops crack murder case in 12 hours with one mobile number

On March 17, a foul odour from a roadside ditch near the Humbharvanya stream along the Pangalila-Band Wadi road caught the attention of passers-by. Upon closer inspection, villagers noticed a hand protruding from a gunny sack and immediately alerted the local police.

A team from Mhasla police station, led by assistant police inspector (API) Sandeep Kahale, arrived at the scene and retrieved the sack from the ditch. “Inside, we found the body of a man tied with wire. The corpse was decomposed and bore deep injury marks, indicating a brutal murder,” said API Kahale.

Cracking the case

As officers searched the victim’s belongings, they came across a small diary containing a mobile number. With no other identifying documents, this lone clue became the linchpin of the investigation.

Using technical surveillance, police traced the number to a contractor who provided labour for minor road repair work along the Ratnagiri border. Suspecting his involvement, a special police team was dispatched on March 18 to locate and interrogate him.

After investigation, the police team met two labourers, identified as —Vishal Devkatkar and Shyamsunder More—who then confessed to the crime. Both of them revealed that the murder was an act of revenge. A month earlier, the deceased, later identified as Badshah alias Umesh Paswan, had allegedly assaulted one of the accused over a personal dispute. Seizing the opportunity on the eve of Holi, when Paswan was heavily intoxicated, the accused brutally beat him to death.

After committing the crime, the two confessed everything to their contractor, identified as Santosh Sawant. Rather than reporting the crime, Sawant chose to cover it up. He stuffed the body into a gunny sack, loaded it onto a two-wheeler, and travelled nearly 25 kilometres alone before dumping it in the remote jungle, assuming no one would ever discover it.

With their confessions secured, the police booked all three accused under section 103 (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and arrested them. The accused were produced before the Shrivardhan Court, which granted them remand until March 24. “The entire case hinged on one small but crucial piece of evidence—the mobile number. By efficiently tracing its owner and methodically interrogating suspects, we were able to crack the case in record time,” API Kahale stated.