Siddharth Sanghvi murder: Accused Sarfaraz’s custody extended

NM Joshi officers told the court on Wednesday that they are still looking for Sanghvi’s purse which Sarfaraz claims he had thrown a few metres away from where the police found Sanghvi’s body, in a farm near Haji Malang.

Sarfaraz Shaikh — arrested for allegedly murdering the vice-president of HDFC Bank, Siddharth Sanghvi — was produced before the Bhoiwada court on Wednesday, which extended his police custody till September 21.

20-year-old Sarfaraz Shaikh was arrested for the murder of 39-year-old HDFC bank Vice President Siddharth Sanghvi. (Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times)

The 39-year-old bank executive went missing on September 5 and the police found his body in Haji Malang area of Kalyan in Thane district on September 10. Soon after finding Sanghvi’s body, the police had brought 20-year-old Sarfaraz Shaikh for questioning because he had Sanghvi’s phone. During questioning, Shaikh had confessed to murdering Sanghvi and surprisingly, he had repeated his confession in court.

NM Joshi officers told the court on Wednesday that they are still looking for Sanghvi’s purse which Sarfaraz claims he had thrown a few metres away from where the police found Sanghvi’s body, in a farm near Haji Malang.

The purse contains debit card, credit card, identity card and other things, said an officer, requesting anonymity. According to Shaikh, there was no cash in the purse.

A team of officers went to the spot twice to look for the purse, but could not find it.

The police also told the court that they had sent the clothes of Sanghvi and Sarfaraz to the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories for a DNA test. “We have to match the blood stains found on Sanghvi’s clothes with that of Sarfaraz’s. Sarfaraz had tried to remove the blood stains by washing his trousers,” said an officer.

Based on these arguments, the court extended Shaikh’s police custody.