THANE: A man who murdered a 60-year-old woman in Ambivli on March 20 was identified and arrested on Friday by the Khadakpada police in Kalyan. The accused, Chand, alias Akbar Mohammad Shaikh, 30, admitted to the police that he killed her for the gold ornaments she was wearing, which he was going to use to fund a new food stall.
Chand resided in Santoshi Mata Nagar in Ambivli. He was previously convicted in a murder case registered at the Kolsewadi Police Station, Kalyan East, and served nine years in Adharwadi jail. Eight months ago, he was released on bail, after which he moved to Manegaon in Ambivli.
According to the police, Chand had been observing the movements of Ranjana Chandrakant Patekar, 60, who lived in Siddhivinayak Chawl in Ambivli. On March 20, he visited her house in the evening when she was alone and asked her for water. When she went to get it, he entered her home, increased the television volume, and locked the door behind him. He first smothered her, then hit her face on the floor, and strangled her to death. He fled with her gold chain and gold earrings, which were worth over ₹1 lakh.
Deputy commissioner of police Atul Zende said there was minimal CCTV footage available in the area, as the locality was always crowded, it was not easy to identify the accused. “However, by activating our network of informers and closely monitoring local jewellery sale activities, we were able to zero in on Chand,” Zende said.
Chand was detained for questioning, where he confessed to the crime stating he wanted to start a new life and business for survival. The stolen jewellery was recovered, and Chand is currently in police custody.
The investigation was conducted under the guidance of Zhende and assistant commissioner Kalyanji Ghete. The arrest was carried out by a team led by Senior police inspector Dr Amarnath Waghmode, inspector Sandeep Shivale, assistant inspector Vijay Gaikwad and Anil Gaikwad.
A resident claimed that two days after the murder, the police arrested a young man in his early twenties, following suspicions raised by the family members of the deceased due to a recent altercation between the two houses. The resident insisted that this man was innocent, yet he is in judicial custody. Zende said, “We will start with the procedure under 169 (release of accused when evidence is insufficient) in CrCP (Criminal Procedure Code) to release the boy we have arrested on suspicion on this murder.
