E-commerce order ‘helps’ Maharashtra cops nab murder accused hiding in Karnataka

Rakshit Vasudev Pujari was wanted for the 2019 murder of a 28-year-old man in Nalasopara of Maharashtra's Palghar district.

Five years after he was allegedly involved in a murder in Maharashtra, a man was nabbed from neighbouring Karnataka after police managed to locate him by tracking an order placed by him on an e-commerce website.

Four other accused were arrested at the time of the murder (Representative Image)

According to a PTI report, Rakshit Vasudev Pujari, also known as Babu, had been absconding since the murder of a 28-year-old man at a bar in Nalasopara of Maharashtra's Palghar district.

Four other accused – Abhishek Raviprakash Pandey, Sagar Ajay Rajoria, Rohit Amarnath Dubey and Saurabh Jayshankar Pandey – were arrested at the time.

A case was registered against the five men for murder, use of dangerous weapons, and other offences under Indian Penal Code, the erstwhile national penal code.

The arrest

Pujari was arrested on February 13 after his family was traced in Karnataka by a police team under senior inspector Samir Ahirrao, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madan Ballal told PTI.

The family was in touch with a person in Karnataka's Chikmagalur, ACP Ballal added.

"We also traced a mobile number linked to the same person. This number was further linked to a bank account, which we found belonged to Pujari's father. After Pujari placed an order on an e-commerce platform, we tracked the delivery location and arrested him from Chikmagalur,"the officer said.

Following his arrest, Pujari was brought to Maharashtra's Vasai on transit remand and handed over to Tulinj police station for further action.