Navi Mumbai: A 36-year-old man was arrested in Nagpur on Thursday for allegedly killing a Rabale resident in 2012 for refusing to return the money that he had borrowed from the accused.
Since the accused was untraceable, the case was temporarily closed in 2013 and a fresh probe started two months ago following an order from the police commissioner to reopen unresolved cases, said a police officer.
According to the police, the case dates back to October 15, 2012, when Bhavankhan Ugan Yadav, 50, was found dead in the MIDC area in Rabale. Following this, a case was registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code. “The accused had managed to flee and the case was temporarily closed in 2013 with an ‘A Summary’ report-indicating that the accused could not be traced,” the officer said.
“Two months ago, a directive was issued by police commissioner Milind Bharambe to reopen unresolved cases, after which a fresh probe was undertaken,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Ajay Landge.
Senior Police Inspector Sunil Shinde said that based on the old records of the case, photographs, details of the absconding suspect and the technical evidence, the crime branch traced the accused Chhotu alias Chhatu Markat Yadav’s location to a labour camp in Nagpur, from where he was arrested on Thursday.
“The motive behind the murder was a financial dispute. The victim had borrowed ₹25,000 from the accused but refused to repay the amount despite repeated requests. Chhatu Markat Yadav was frustrated and stabbed Bhavankhan Ugan Yadav in his chest, leading to his death,” said Shinde.
Yadav, a native of Bhojpur district in Bihar, has been remanded to police custody till August 5.