Mumbai: ‘Fish seller was killed by friend, not wife, her lover’

Riyaz Ali, deceased

The Pelhar police in Nalasopara East, who are probing the death of a 55-year-old fish seller, Riyaz Ali, have claimed that his wife, Mansoora, and her lover, Ganesh Pandit, are not responsible for his alleged murder, as claimed by the deceased's kin.

After a thorough investigation, the authorities learnt that Mansoora, 35, and Pandit, a grocery shop owner, were not present at the scene of the alleged murder, which occurred on August 21. CCTV recordings revealed that the duo was actually at the Jeevdani temple with Mansoora's children. At the time, Ali was picnicking with his friends at Kalam beach.

Ali had gone to the beach with five or six companions, including Jitendra Shinde, 45. During the outing, Ali and Shinde started arguing. The dispute was apparently sparked by a kabaddi match. "A physical fight ensued. Jitendra beat up Ali and pushed him into a drain, causing the latter to sustain a head injury and lose consciousness," said senior inspector Vasant Labde of Pelhar police station.

After the altercation, Shinde and his companions took the unconscious Ali to his house in a tempo and fabricated a story to make it seem like the 55-year-old's injuries were the result of a drowning accident. Ali, however, succumbed to his injuries. Following the death, Ali's relatives learned about Mansoora's affair and discovered objectionable photos of the wife and Pandit on her phone. Assuming that she was responsible for the death, Ali's sister lodged a complaint with the Tulinj police, leading to the registration of an FIR.

Despite Mansura's initial confession and the suspicion surrounding her, Pandit and she were cleared of involvement in the murder. Shinde was arrested on Saturday. "We have collected sufficient evidence and also found a couple of witnesses. Shine has been produced before the court and remanded in police custody," said Labde.