Kalyan: Nearly a month after the decomposed body of an unidentified man was found dumped in a forested area near Mamnoli village on the Kalyan-Ahilyanagar road, the Kalyan Taluka police, with the assistance of the Thane Rural Local Crime Branch, arrested two of his office colleagues for allegedly murdering him.The victim, Ramesh, 42, (name changed to protect identity), was a resident of Devgaon in Murbad taluka and worked in the housekeeping department of a private company. His decomposed body was recovered on June 28, following which police registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence.Considering the gravity of the offence, Thane Rural Superintendent of Police Vinaykumar Rathod and Additional SP Anmol Mittal supervised the investigation. Six teams, led by SDPO Anil Lad, Local Crime Branch PI Dadasaheb Edke and Kalyan Taluka PI Mukesh Dhage, were formed to crack the case.Police said that although the body was in an advanced stage of decomposition, investigators recovered the victim’s company identity card, which helped establish his identity. They subsequently analysed CCTV footage, technical evidence and other leads from the crime scene and the victim’s workplace.The investigation led police to two of the victim’s colleagues — Rajesh, 24, (name changed), who worked as a supervisor in the same company, and Prathmesh, 28, (name changed), both residents of Murbad.According to the police, Ramesh was homosexual and had allegedly been repeatedly pressuring Rajesh to enter into a physical relationship despite his refusal. Investigators claimed Rajesh was disturbed by the victim’s alleged behaviour and, along with Prathmesh, conspired to kill him.Police alleged that the accused lured Ramesh to a secluded forest area on the pretext of a sexual encounter. Once there, Rajesh allegedly struck him on the head with an iron rod before slitting his throat, while Prathmesh allegedly assisted in the murder.Investigators further alleged that the duo robbed the victim of his gold ornaments before dumping the body in the forest in an attempt to destroy evidence.Both accused were arrested and produced before a local court, which remanded them to police custody till July 24. Further investigation is underway.
