Colaba body identified, 3 held

A fortnight after a 40-year-old man’s body washed ashore at Colaba, the police arrested three men on the charge of murder.
After killing Ramesh Hadpati, suspects Gaurangkumar Tandel, 26, and his two employees Lakshu Chaudhary, 50, and Rasik Bhavit, 40, threw the body in the water and lodged a missing person’s complaint on September 29. Tandel is the son of the owner of Geeta vessel where the deceased worked.

“We are yet to ascertain the motive behind the murder,” said senior police inspector Vinod Sawant of Colaba police station.

On October 1, a man’s body was found floating near INS Bramhaputra ship at South Breaks Waters in Colaba. Through missing persons complaints registered at all police stations, Hadpati was identified by his family.

Hadpati’s missing complaint was lodged by Tandel. “Tandel had told the police that Hadpati slipped off the vessel and fell into the water. But the medical report shows that he was stabbed several times and had no clothes on. Based on these discrepancies, we arrested the three men on October 14,” said another police officer.

The men have been booked under sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) IPC, and will be kept in police custody until October 21.