13 November,2024 10:50 PM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah Khan
Raghunandan Paswan, who was killed by his girlfriend’s brother
The Gorai police, investigating the murder of 21-year-old Raghunandan Paswan, arrested a 24-year-old fish seller from Bhayandar on Wednesday.
The accused allegedly killed Paswan by slashing his neck with a fish-cutting sickle.
Facing difficulties disposing of the body, he reportedly dismembered it, placed the parts in empty paint drums and transported them via auto-rickshaw to the Gorai area where he dumped the remains the next day.
It is reported that Paswan and the sister of the accused were in a relationship, which the girl's family disapproved. The family had also warned Paswan against it.
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According to the police, on October 31, Paswan travelled to Mumbai to meet the girl. When he called the girl, her phone was switched off. He then contacted her brother (the accused) who invited him to Bhayandar to meet her. Paswan and the accused consumed alcohol together. Paswan got heavily intoxicated and started vomiting, so the accused had him lie down to rest in a shop nearby while he sat and continued drinking. Meanwhile, thoughts of the ongoing conflict back in their village over his sister fueled his anger. In a fit of rage, he allegedly killed Paswan by slitting his throat with a sickle while he was asleep. The accused then dismembered the body and packed it in plastic drums to dispose of.
The body parts were disposed of in paint drums
The accused had been residing in Bhayandar with his wife. His elder brother lives in Borivli where their sister also lived and she often visited his house in Bhayandar. The investigation revealed that prior to starting his fish-selling business, the accused was involved in the illegal sale of country liquor, supplying it from the Gorai Uttan area to Bhayandar and surrounding areas using auto-rickshaws. He had connections with several rickshaw drivers who would transport the liquor for a higher fee.
To dispose of the body, the accused hired one of these drivers and left the remains in a roadside pit amid the bushes along the road from Babarpada to Picxy Sea Resort in Shefali village, Gorai.
Paswan was a resident of Kanhauli village in Darbhanga district of Bihar. He had been working at an AC pipe manufacturing company in Saraswadi, Pune, for the last 10 months. The accused hails from a village about 22 km from Paswan's village. Before moving to Pune, Paswan worked at a medical shop in Darbhanga district, where he met and fell in love with the accused's 16-year-old sister, and they frequently spoke over the phone.
Paswan's father, Jitendra, a security guard at a hospital in Darbhanga, told mid-day that upon learning about the relationship, he decided to move to Pune with his family. After staying there for about a month and a half, he arranged work for Paswan and then returned to Bihar with the rest of the family. He called Paswan every morning and evening to check on his well-being.
Raghunandan Paswan's clothes that were disposed of with his body parts
As per Jitendra's statement given to the police, he spoke to Paswan around 10 pm on October 31.
Paswan informed him that he had arrived from Pune to Andheri with his friend Ashish to meet Sumit. Around 7 am the following day, Jitendra called Paswan again, but his mobile phone was switched off. He tried repeatedly, but his phone remained unreachable. Jitendra called Ashish but didn't answer the phone. He contacted Ashish's brother, Pradeep, who informed him that he had spoken to Paswan at 1.30 am on November 1 and also mentioned that he was planning to meet Paswan, but couldn't join him due to his night shift. Pradeep called Paswan in the morning but his phone was switched off.
When Jitendra called Sumit, he responded saying, "Ye ladki ka matter isme humko mat ghasito (This matter involves a girl⦠don't dram me into it)," before disconnecting the call. This raised Jitendra's suspicions and he immediately left for Mumbai. He arrived at a relative's house in Juhu on November 7 and began searching for Paswan. A missing complaint was subsequently filed at Andheri police station on Monday (November 11), a day after the dismembered body was found.
On Tuesday, Head Constable Pandey, attached to Andheri police station's missing person's department, circulated the missing person's report on social media. Before that, the Gorai police had shared photos of the body and items found at the crime scene to aid in the identification process. Meanwhile, an informant in Bhayander notified Senior Inspector Jitendra Kamble of Bhayander police that an auto-rickshaw driver had mentioned transporting items with the accused and later discarding them.
The only identification mark police found on the body
Acting on this tip, Bhayander police promptly detained the auto driver and the accused, handing them over to Gorai police for further investigation.
"The accused confessed to the murder and we are now probing to determine if he acted alone or if others were involved," an officer added.
Guided by DCP Zone XI Anand Bhoite and ACP Sunil Jaybhay, under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector Gajanan Vikhe, Police Inspector Vijay Jadhav and API Amol Baviskar, along with the Gorai police team are investigating the case.
DCP Bhoite confirmed the arrest of one accused and said that any other individuals, if involved, will also not be spared.
Speaking with mid-day, Paswan's father Jitendra said, "My son was lured as part of a conspiracy and butchered like a goat. Anyone involved in this brutal murder deserves to be hanged."
