Missing Cidco officer found brutally murdered in Panvel

Atul Mhatre,35, a Cidco official who had gone missing late on Friday night, was found dead with 35 stab wounds, in Panvel on Sunday evening, G Mohiuddin Jeddy reports.

Atul Mhatre,35, a Cidco official who had gone missing late on Friday night, was found dead with 35 stab wounds, in Panvel on Sunday evening.

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The Panvel police had registered a case of kidnapping on Saturday after Mhatre could not be traced and his shoes and bag were found near his abandoned car in the Bandipada village. On Sunday, they found his body about 4km from there, in the bushes along the road.

Deputy commissioner of police (zone II) Pramod Shevale confirmed that he had been killed. “We found the body at around 4pm during our search in the Manghar village in Panvel,” he said. The body has now been sent for a post mortem.

Asked if there are any suspects yet, Ramesh Gadhavle, police inspector, Panvel police station said, “We are still investigating the case. There are no suspects right now. The motive is not clear either.”

Mhatre worked as a clerk in the land and survey department of Cidco and was assigned to the Kamothe node. His work included allotting plots to project-affected people, known to be a sensitive issue.

According to the police, the resident of Jasai in Uran, left his office at Cidco Bhavan in CBD Belapur on Friday evening. He then went to the nearby Raigad Bhavan where there is another Cidco office. He was last seen near an electronics shop in CBD Belapur, heading towards his home.

Both Bandipada village, where the car was found, and Manghar village do not fall on the way to Mhatre’s home in Uran.

Mhatre lived in a joint family and is survived by his wife and daughter.