Tattoo helps police identify a decapitated man, business partners held

The headless body, estimated to be of a man in his early-to-mid 30s, was found stuffed in a plastic sack and dumped in a mango orchard in the Ambapada area of Virar East. A tattoo bearing the name ‘Ashok Singh’ on his right hand provided the only lead for investigators

MUMBAI: A tattoo on the arm of a decapitated man served as the sole clue that helped Pelhar police identify a murder victim within eight hours and arrest two suspects, police said on Tuesday.

Tattoo helps police identify a decapitated man, business partners held

The headless body, estimated to be of a man in his early-to-mid 30s, was found stuffed in a plastic sack and dumped in a mango orchard in the Ambapada area of Virar East, near the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway (NH-48), on Monday afternoon.

Senior Inspector Pramod Badakh of Crime Unit-IV said the victim was wearing a white floral shirt and brown shorts. A black thread was tied around his left wrist and ankle. A tattoo bearing the name ‘Ashok Singh’ on his right hand provided the only lead for investigators.

Acting on the clue, police made local inquiries and identified the deceased as Ashok Singh Rajput, 32, a grocery shop owner from the Pelhar area.The investigation revealed that Rajput was allegedly killed by his two business partners following a financial dispute related to their grocery store.

The accused, identified as Dinesh Prajapati, 27, and Sandeep Tiwari, 35, were subsequently arrested on Tuesday. Police stated that the suspects beheaded Rajput to conceal his identity and disposed of his head in the Tansa river.

Following a search operation on Tuesday, authorities recovered both the severed head and the knife used in the crime. The accused were produced in court and remanded to police custody till April 10, police said.