Navi Mumbai police arrest office boy for allegedly murdering real estate developer found dead at his office

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The Navi Mumbai police has apprehended an office boy in connection with the murder of a developer who was found dead at his Seawood office on Saturday.

The suspect has been identified as Raju, also known as Shamsuddin Azam Khan, aged 22, who worked as the office boy for the deceased developer. The motive behind the murder remains unclear, and investigations are ongoing, Navi Mumbai police said.

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"The accused was produced in court and remanded in police custody till January 18," a police official said.

Vivek Pansare, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 1, Navi Mumbai, said, "We have arrested one person and are further investigating the matter."

The police revealed that the victim, Manoj Kumar Singh, was fatally attacked with a rod, resulting in head injuries. It is suspected that the accused assaulted Singh with the rod, leading to his death. The NRI police station registered a case, and both local police and the crime branch initiated an investigation.

Manoj Kumar Singh, a resident of Ulwe, owned an office under the name Aman Group Developers at Gayatri Archana CHS, plot no: 136, sec 44, Seawood West. On Saturday morning, a staff member discovered Singh lying in a pool of blood. The incident was reported to the police, who arrived at the scene and found Singh with head injuries. Singh, a real estate developer, typically spent time in his office where the tragic incident occurred, according to police.

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The NRI police has filed charges under sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 201 (destroying evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. Authorities allege that the accused stole the CCTV footage hard disk to eliminate evidence.

Earlier in the day, the Navi Mumbai police booked six persons for allegedly luring a senior citizen with "investment schemes" offering high returns and duping him of nearly Rs 31 lakh, an official said.

The 66-year-old complainant, who lives in Koparkhairane, told Navi Mumbai police that the alleged fraudsters first contacted him in November 2023, the official said. Since then, they regularly communicated with him and enticed him to invest Rs 31.1 lakh in various "schemes" claiming that he would get handsome returns, the official said, citing the complaint.

The retired man approached the Cyber police station after he did not receive any money in return despite follow-ups, he said. The police registered a cheating case against the six on Friday, and a probe is underway, the official added. (With additional reporting by PTI)