Two held for kidnapping, killing taxi driver

Pant Nagar police arrested two men on Friday for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a taxi driver on April 12.

Pant Nagar police arrested two men on Friday for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a taxi driver on April 12.

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The accused have been identified as Babloo Patil (30) and Sanjay Singh (35) — both history sheeters with criminal records of scrap theft registered across various police stations in central Mumbai.

The accused, with three of their accomplices, who are also wanted in different cases, had reportedly planned a dacoity on April 12. The duo hired a taxi from near Ghatkopar at night and asked its driver S.M. Khan to take them to Virar.

On their way, the duo caught Khan from behind and strangled him to death. They then tried to get in touch with their accomplices, but could not. This is why, they had to abandon the plan. The duo then dumped Khan’s body in a river and discarded the vehicle in a nearby jungle, said the police.

Khan’s family who got worried when he did not return from work, lodged a missing complaint on the same night. The police learnt about Khan, after ten days when the locals in Virar found his decomposed body on the riverbank.

“Based on the description, we zeroed upon on the accused and arrested them,” said Assistant Police Inspector N. Ghule.