Thane: Three labourers from Odisha arrested for killing colleague

Representational Image

Three labourers from Odisha arrested for killing their colleague after he apparently refused to hand over his phone to one of them to make a call, an official told news agency PTI on Thursday.

The police began an investigation after a man's body was found with multiple injuries in a pond in Ambernath, on the outskirts of Mumbai, on September 4. He was identified as Lalji Sahay (32), a construction worker, reported PTI.

Senior Inspector Ashok Bhagat of Shivaji Nagar police station told PTI that a probe revealed that the victim, who worked at a site in Ambernath Palegaon MIDC area, was killed by his co-workers, all from Odisha.

According to the official, one of the accused wanted to use the victim's mobile phone to make a call to his village but the latter refused.

Angered by the refusal, the three accused hit his head with a stone and attacked him with an iron rod, killing him. They then dumped the body in a pond, reported PTI.

The official told PTI that intelligence inputs helped the police track down the accused, who were identified as Shambu Manji, Manodeep and Chila Manji.

The police suspect another person was also involved in the crime. The probe is on, the official told PTI.

In another incident, the Mumbai police have arrested a 22-year-old man who was on the run after allegedly killing a real estate agent in Bihar, an official told PTI on Sunday.

Based on a tip-off, the police on Friday laid a trap at Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road in Sakinaka and apprehended the accused Naveen Kumar Ranjan, the official told PTI.

Ranjan was wanted for the murder of Bihar-based real estate agent Prem Paswan, who was shot dead over a financial dispute in January, the official told PTI.

Four other accused involved in the killing were already arrested by the Bihar police, while Ranjan, who had been on the run for the last eight months, was traced to Mumbai, the official told PTI.

The accused are contract killers who were paid Rs 5 lakh for the murder, the official told PTI, adding that Ranjan will be handed over to the Bihar police.

(With inputs from PTI)