The two accused had approached lawyer under pretext of seeking bail for 'murderer' friend
Victim Bhima Berdia
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An advocate has managed to blow the lid off a senior citizen's murder in Borivli after he alerted the police about two suspicious people, who visited him some days ago, seeking bail for their "murderer" friend. In their desperate attempt to get help, the almost gave away the fact that they had a role to play in it. Based on the information provided by the lawyer, the police yesterday traced the body of Bhima Berdia, 75, and arrested his son, Purushottam, and Deepak Babar, an auto driver, for the murder.
An imperfect crime
The incident took place early last week, when Purushottam, 46, and Deepak, 50, approached a lawyer seeking bail for their friend, who had allegedly killed his father and wanted to surrender to the cops. In the process, the duo had revealed the society address and area where the murder had taken place. While the lawyer (name withheld) assured help, he insisted that he be allowed to meet the accused. Purushottam promised to get back to him soon.
The police at Vishal Co-op Housing Society, where the body was found
When the lawyer received no call from the duo for over two days, he became suspicious. Sensing something amiss, he got in touch with the Borivli police and informed them about the call. "He told us that he suspected that those two had some crucial leads on the murder," said a police officer.
The lawyer even shared the area in Gorai No. 2, where the duo had said the murder had taken place. He, however, could not recall the name of the society, except for the fact that it started with the letter 'v'. Acting on the tip-off, the police immediately began their investigations. "When we reached Gorai No. 2, we stumbled upon a society named, Vishal Co-op Housing Society and found two locked flats in the society," said the officer.
"There was a foul smell emanating from one of the flats. We broke open the door, and found a decomposed body lying under the bed," he added. On inquiries, the police learnt that the body was that of Bhima, a former employee of the BMC, who had separated from his wife and had been living alone for nearly two decades. During investigations, the police found out that his son Purushottam had visited him a few days ago. "We contacted Bhima's relative, who gave us information about his family," said the officer. Purushottam was traced eight hours later.
'I killed my father'
During investigations, Purushottam confessed to the murder. According to the police, Purushottam had been holding a grudge against his father for leaving his mother 18 years ago, over suspicions that she was having an affair with his friend Deepak.
Two days before the murder, Purushottam had visited his father, along with his mum again. "That day, Bhima abused his wife again and raised doubts over her character," the officer said. Enraged, Purushottam returned two days later, and with the help of Deepak, strangulated his father. They left the body under the bed, and planned to dispose it off soon. "However, when they came back again in the night, they found society members celebrating the Maghi Ganpati festival [Jan. 21] outside the building and decided it was best to keep away," said the police. When contacted, Gunaji Sawant, senior inspector Borivli, confirmed that the duo had been arrested. "They will be in police custody till February 1."
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