After murder, man visits holy places to wash away sins

Over a year after a youth, strangulated to death, with his face smashed was found at Vasai, the Manickpur police finally managed to track down the perpetrators. The main accused revealed that the reason behind the murder was a love affair between his sister and the victim which he did not approve of.

The victim, Bharat Waghela, 30, a resident of Vasai was employed with a private firm. His beaten up body was found on 21 April last year. After receiving a tip-off, police finally managed to track down the 35-year-old accused Amol Rajput. Interrogations revealed that Amol killed Waghela after giving him alcohol and, with help from a friend, they smashed his face so that the body would not be identified. Later, Amol went on to visit holy places at Shirdi and other states.

"We were working blind as no one came to identify the deceased nor was a missing complaint registered. After the tip-off, we sent a team to Gujarat and arrested him. Amol then confessed to the crime and also revealed that after the murder he visited holy places to wash away his sins," said a Manickpur police officer.

"The accused's sister was in a relationship with the deceased and Amol, who did not agree to it, killed the youth. He has been arrested under section 302 (murder), 201 (destroying evidence), 34 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code. Vasai court has remanded him to police custody uptill Wednesday and we are investigating further," said KS Hegaje, police inspector, Manickpur police station.