The Navi Mumbai Police Crime Branch has arrested four individuals for allegedly beating a 31-year-old man to death on suspicion of theft, officials said on Thursday.
The victim, Sandeep Laxmikant Vishwakarma, a resident of Mankhurd, was reported missing on February 15. His body was discovered the following day within the jurisdiction of Rabale MIDC Police Station, according to a police press release.
An autopsy confirmed that Vishwakarma died due to injuries sustained during a violent assault.
Investigators examined mobile phone records, which showed that Vishwakarma had been in Vashi on February 15 and had spoken to a scrap dealer shortly before his disappearance.
Police said interrogation revealed that the deceased was allegedly caught attempting to steal electric poles and wires from electrical distribution points. The accused allegedly assaulted him, leading to his death. They then transported his body in a rickshaw and dumped it near a drain in the Mahape MIDC area.
Sanket Jagtap, the rickshaw driver, allegedly confessed that he and three others caught Vishwakarma stealing and assaulted him. Based on the confession and subsequent investigation, police arrested Pritam Bharat Bhoir (26), Shivaji Shankar Dumbare (57), and Amol Ramesh Gunjal (31), who works as an electrician.
Further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and determine additional legal charges in the case.
