'Killer ripped victim's body apart with bare hands, pliers in 3 days'

Pintoo Sharma, killer

Most police personnel are inured to the gory details of the crimes that they come up against almost every day. Yet, the Arnala Coastal Police have said that their 'eyes popped out and intestines felt like they were ripped out of their abdomens' as they sat through killer Pintoo Sharma's narration of the horrific details of how he tore the skin off and chopped up a body into tiny pieces before flushing them down the toilet.

The police have recovered three hacksaw blades, one screwdriver and one pair of pliers that Sharma allegedly used to peel the skin of and scrape the flesh off the bones of Ganesh Koladkar whom he had murdered in a Virar flat. Pieces of Koladkar's body, weighing around 40kg, were recovered while unclogging the septic tank in the building last week.

Ganesh Koladkar, victim

An officer privy to the investigation told mid-day that Sharma took three days to dispose of the body. "He would return to flat no. 602 of Bachraj Paradise after separating the flesh from the bones. He would calmly walk into the Virar flat, cut the body into pieces, flush them down the toilet, stuff the bones into a plastic bag and fling it from a running train into the Bhayandar creek while returning to his Santacruz home," said the officer.

Sharma told the police that he used his bare hands and pliers to remove stubborn bit of flesh from the bone that had escaped the hacksaw blade. The cops are yet to recover the skull and bones because it is yet not clear if Sharma threw away all the bones and skull at one place in Bhayandar creek or somewhere in the bushes along the railway track. The investigating teams are taking the help of local fishermen to search for these remains in the creek.

"Sharma knew well that if the bones and skull are thrown in the creek, they would quickly sink and get stuck in the sea bed. We may need the help of divers to search for the bones and skull but first we need to confirm the exact location where he [Sharma] disposed of the bones," said a senior police officer. Killer Pintoo Sharma had booked flat number 602 of Bachraj Paradise to rent in December after consulting two property agents in Virar.

Sharma told agents that he runs lingerie business and wanted to move there with his family from January 20 onwards. "He paid Rs 30,000 as security deposit and 11 postdated cheques (PDC) to the landlady from Goregaon. It was a 1BHK flat with a monthly rent of Rs 6,000," a source told mid-day.

Sharma allegedly told realty agents that his Vakola chawl is set to undergo redevelopment, which is why he wanted to shift to Virar. His wife told police that she did not know why he rented the Virar flat. She also asked police why would her husband so brutally dismember a man for Rs 60,000?" the source said.

Money trap
After the police learnt that the pieces found were human flesh, the Deputy Superintendent Jayant Bajbale, senior inspector Sunil Mane and police teams reached the spot on January 22 morning. While the police were busy taking stock of the situation, sources told mid-day that Sharma visited his flat at 11 am the same day.

"Sharma had audaciously entered the flat amidst the huge presence of police. He had brought phenyl and sanitised the floor with the intention of wiping out all evidence," said a source, who added, "Sharma then called the property agents and told them he wanted to cancel the rent agreement on the Virar flat as it cost him a lot of travel time. But the property dealer, unaware of the murder, told him the lock-in period was at least six months. Or, if any other tenant agreed to rent the flat, his rent agreement could be cancelled."

Sharma desperately wanted to hand over the flat keys to the property agent but the latter told him he would first check the flat and only then take back the keys. "After taking his bag from the flat, Sharma returned to the shop but the agent had left for the bank. The duo spoke over the phone at 1pm and it was decided that Sharma would return to Virar in the evening," said the source.

Meanwhile, the property agent was shocked to see police at Bachraj Paradise. He then got a call from the secretary of the building telling him to come with the rent agreement.

Sources told mid-day that with the help of the agent, the crime branch and Arnala Coastal police trapped Sharma. "The property agent told Sharma that a new tenant had agreed to see the flat, so he needed the keys. He told him his cheques would be returned at once," said a source. Unaware of the police trap, Sharma returned to Virar by 6.30 pm on January 22. Sharma was nabbed at the gate of Bachraj Paradise

Neighbours speak
Sharma's wife and children were not at home when mid-day visited his house in Santacruz East. Neighbours told mid-day that Sharma had been living with his wife and two sons for the last 25 years in the same area of Vakola and was never known to be in any trouble. "Initially, he lived on rent but has now bought his own property.

We were shocked to read the news about Pintoo. Why would anyone commit such a gruesome murder for a mere Rs 60,000? We all are unable to digest it," said a neighbour, requesting anonymity. Another neighbour said, "It could not be the handiwork of one person. The police should investigate the case properly."

'Nothing seems right'
Anagha Gokhale, sister of Koladkar, who lives with her husband in Pune, said, "I know all my brother's friends, but he never spoke about Pintoo Sharma. This is the first time I am hearing this name. Also, I spoke to my brother every single day. We talked last on January 16 morning. He did not tell me about going to meet anyone in Virar. And, he never spoke about a loan of Rs 1 lakh. Nothing seems right in this case."

She further added that her brother had not married as he had been taking care of their ailing parents. "After our mother's demise in 2017 and father's death in 2018, my brother decided to settle down," said Gokhale, who had registered a missing complaint on January 20 after a desperate attempt to reach him.

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