A probe into the kidnapping and death of a Navy official in Maharashtra’s Palghar district has revealed that the 27-year-old had taken a loan of ₹5 lakh from his colleague allegedly to invest in stocks and shares, police said on Sunday.
The Navy official, Surajkumar Mithilesh Dube, succumbed to injuries on Friday after he was set ablaze by three unidentified men in a forest in the district.
The probe into the case revealed that Dube had taken a personal loan of ₹8 lakh from State Bank of India and ₹5.75 lakh from his colleague. He also owned three mobile phones, one of which was exclusively used for the transaction of shares. His family members said they were unaware of his third mobile phone. Palghar SP Dattatray Shinde said the sailor had also taken a loan of ₹9 lakh from his in-laws for investment. The colleague had allegedly asked for his money following which Dube assured to return the amount through a cheque or via online transaction, police said.
“We still do not know the motive behind the murder. We have formed 10 teams to probe the matter,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“We still do not know the motive behind the murder. We have formed 10 teams to probe the matter,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The sailor was on leave and had allegedly visited Chennai on January 31 from where he was kidnapped and held captive for three days. He was then brought to Gholwad in Palghar following which the accused set him ablaze in Vaiji-Vejalpada forest after they were reportedly refused a ransom of ₹10 lakh.
Sarjerao Kumbhar, assistant police inspector, said, “The victim was burnt alive at gun-point for refusing their demand for ₹10 lakh. Locals alerted us and we admitted him to Cottage Hospital, Dahanu. He was later shifted to Sion hospital where he succumbed to injuries. Before his death, he had narrated the incident.” The deceased’s father, however, claimed he did not receive any calls for ransom. “We are investigating all possible angles, including whether the victim had self-staged the kidnapping and sought the ransom so as to clear the financial mess,” Shinde said.
In its statement, the Navy confirmed that Dubey, of INS Agrani, Coimbatore,Tamil Nadu, was on leave and was found with 90% burns in Palghar on February 5.