Two vegetable vendors from Ghatkopar held for murder of extortionist

Four days after an unidentified man was found murdered in a drain at suburban Kanjurmarg, police claimed to have cracked the case with the arrest of two vegetable vendors, who allegedly killed him as he was extorting money from them.

The corpse was identified as that of Sanjay Solankhi (20), a resident of suburban Ghatkopar, who had assault cases registered against him at the Pant Nagar police station.

Solankhi was found with his throat slit in the drain at Kanjurmarg on Saturday. Initially he could not be identified. Investigators clicked photographs of the corpse and circulated them among informers after which Solankhi was identified.

Acting on a tip-off, police picked up vendors Rajesh Yadav (30) and Rajesh Renuse (22), residents of Ghatkopar, for questioning. "On grilling, the duo confessed to having killed Solankhi as he had started extorting money from vegetable vendors at Hingwala Lane," a crime branch officer said.

Fed up with Solankhi's threats, the duo conspired to finish him off. The two took him to Somaiyya grounds on the night of October 24 to play dandia raas and served him alcohol till he lost his senses. They then took Solankhi to Kanjurmarg in an autorickshaw and slit his throat there, police said. However, when Solankhi did not die, the two vendors allegedly drowned him in the drain before fleeing the spot.