Mumbai police crack murder case in Kandivali, arrest accused from Uttar Pradesh

Mumbai Police announced a breakthrough in the recent murder investigation of a 32-year-old man in Kandivali, as they successfully apprehended the suspect in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

The accused, identified as 23-year-old Rohit Pal, allegedly shot and killed Manoj Chauhan, a resident of Laljipada slum in Kandivali West, on Sunday morning in the Ekta Nagar area. Police sources revealed that Pal, who was reportedly having an affair with Chauhan's wife, resorted to murder to eliminate him. The authorities are also examining whether the deceased's wife played a role in the crime.

Pal, who comes from Prayagraj and had not completed his 12th grade, has connections to Chauhan's wife's maternal side in Uttar Pradesh. Chauhan, originally from Jaunpur, resided alone in Mumbai and was employed in a jewelry unit.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajay Bansal stated that Pal had previously faced assault by Chauhan and his family in December last year when he visited their residence to meet Chauhan's wife. Learning of his wife's involvement with Pal, Chauhan had urged her to relocate to Mumbai and live with him.

"Purchasing a locally made firearm for Rs 5,000 from Prayagraj, Pal practiced using it near the Ganga river before arriving in Mumbai the day before the incident. After surveying the area where Chauhan lived, he chose to carry out the assassination early in the morning in a narrow lane," explained DCP Bansal.

Following the shooting, Pal managed to escape to Prayagraj via the Pawan Express. To evade detection, he changed his attire multiple times during the journey.

 Inspector Deepshika Ware of Kandivali police station shared, "Pal also made a phone call to Chauhan's wife at 7 am. We determined the location of this number to be in the Kandivali area on the day of the incident. We focused our investigation on this number. Subsequently, after reviewing CCTV footage from the railway station, they confirmed that Pal was aboard the train.

The accused has been placed in police custody until June 2, according to Senior Inspector Dinkar Jadhav of Kandivali police station.