Rajkot: Unlike the usual investigative pattern where police identify a murder victim before hunting for suspects, Morbi local crime branch (LCB) arrested six persons — including a local industrialist— for allegedly killing an unidentified man, whose naked body was found on April 8, on the outskirts of Samtherva village of Wankaner taluka.Despite extensive efforts analyzing CCTV footage, tracking vehicle movements and broadcasting appeals via social media, police have not been able to establish the victim’s identity. Human intelligence led investigators to bring in local businessman Sandeep Jhalariya and five others for interrogation. Jhalariya has a vitrified tiles factory.Morbi DSP Mukesh Patel said the deceased allegedly broke into Jhalariya’s house with intent to steal and was caught. On finding car and scooter keys on the intruder, Sandeep summoned his driver, Rajesh Dabhi, and put the victim into an Innova car.Jhalariya and his accomplices allegedly took the intruder to a solar park in Mathak village and assaulted him with a pipe. The group then dumped the man, unconscious, at a secluded spot near Samtherva village, about 14km away. Police have seized the car in which the victim was allegedly transported and the phones of the accused. The accused had formatted their phones and deleted their browsing and location histories. Police say forensic experts will be able to retrieve the contents and history of the phones.Those arrested are Sandeep Jhalariya, Divyesh Jhalariya, the general manager of the factory Rajiv Srivastava, a worker named Varun Goltar and Rajesh Dabhi, the driver. They are in police custody for questioning. Police suspect the victim was a migrant labourer as he spoke Hindi.
