Mumbai crime: Electrician kills senior citizen after failed robbery; held

Cops have arrested an electrician, who entered the 70-year-old's residence in Chembur with the intention of stealing; the accused was also involved in a petty theft at the same house a couple of months ago

An electrician has been arrested for murdering a 70-year-old at her Chembur residence 10 days ago. Prime facie, the investigations revealed that the accused had entered the house with the intention to steal valuables, but as the senior citizen tried to intervene, the accused smothered her to death.

The accused has been identified as Mustak Khan (32), a resident of Govandi. An officer from Crime Branch Unit 6 said, “The deceased, Chandrabhaga Kharat, was found dead in her residence at Ramtekdi in Chembur. She hailed from Nashik and had come to the city just 15 days before the incident for an eye surgery.”

Kharat was staying with her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Her son works as a rickshaw driver, daughter-in-law is a maid and her granddaughter is a college student. The deceased was alone at home during the incident since all her family members were out on their respective duties.

On December 22, Khan entered the house with the intention to steal — he had already stolen valuables worth Rs 1,000 at the same house two months ago .

“The accused had done some electrical work in the deceased’s residence a couple of times. Since he had stolen something a few months ago at the same place, he had a fair idea of the things inside the house. He entered the house and was opening a cupboard, when something fell. The senior citizen heard the noise immediately rushed and locked the door from inside,” said an officer.

In a bid to escape, the accused initially smothered her with a pillow, and then slit her throat with a sharp object.

During investigations, the team consisting of Police Inspector Praveen Parab and Assistant Police Inspectors Sanjay Bhapkar, Navnath Ghughe and Mahendra Ghag, learnt that a theft had taken place in the same residence a few months ago, so they started investigating the case from that angle.

The team got a tip-off about Khan, who was then brought in for interrogation, after which he confessed to the crime. A case was registered under Sections 302 (murder) and 454 (house trespassing) of the Indian Penal Code.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!