Missing Navi Mumbai youth found murdered at Haji Malang

The man had severe injuries on head.

A 23-year-old youth from Panvel, who went missing on Thursday, was found murdered at Haji Malang on Saturday.

The man had been missing since Thursday. (HT FILE)

According to the police, Pravin Farat, an employee of a private company, lived with his family at Mahalungi village. On Thursday night, he went out with his friends but did not return home. His mobile phone was switched off.

“His family members registered a missing person’s case on Friday and we started searching for him. Some people spotted an abandoned bike at Haji Malang on Friday evening and informed us about it. After seeing the registration number of the bike, we realised that it belonged to Farat,” said a police officer from Panvel Taluka police station.

The police then started a search operation at Haji Malang on Saturday and found Farat’s body in a gorge. They spotted severe injury marks on his head.

“Prima facie, it appears that the culprits strangled him to death and also smashed his head with stones. We sent the body to Panvel rural hospital for a post mortem,” the officer said.

The police have registered a case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, no one has been arrested so far.

“The youth’s family members suspect some of his friends to be behind the murder. We are now searching for them. They will be arrested soon,” he said.

“The reason behind the murder is also not clear,” said another police officer.