2 teens arrested , minor detained for murder in Waluj

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The MIDC Waluj police have cracked a blind murder case involving an unidentified decomposed body found near Lavki village earlier this month. They have arrested two youths and detained a minor after tracking them through CCTV footage and social media activity, including an Instagram reel uploaded after the crime.

The arrested accused are 18 and 19-year-olds from Ranjangaon Shenpunji in Gangapur taluka. A minor in conflict with the law has also been detained.

Police commissioner Pravin Pawar said the body was found in a decomposed state in a farm at Vitawa shivar under the MIDC Waluj police limits on May 18. Initially registered as an accidental death case under section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the probe was upgraded to murder under section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after signs of foul play emerged.

Acting on instructions of in-charge officer Rameshwar Gade Patil, a special team, led by sub-inspector Sagar Patil, analysed CCTV footage from multiple routes around the crime scene to identify suspects.

DCP (Zone-II) Pankaj Atulkar said investigators traced a motorcycle seen in the footage and examined four years of sales records from showrooms dealing in similar models, while also matching the physique of suspects with information from sources and social media profiles.

Police said the case breakthrough came after spotting an Instagram reel uploaded by the accused featuring the song “Tapka Re Tapka” after the murder. With the help of cyber police, links to other suspects were established through the reel.

Teams traced the suspects to Nanded and camped there for three days, gathering intelligence by posing as vegetable vendors in crime-prone areas. During the probe, police learnt that one suspect with a criminal background had been missing since May 14.

Sub-inspector Patil said further analysis of social media photographs helped match the suspects’ body structure with those seen in CCTV footage. The accused had allegedly fled to another state after the crime, and were nabbed after returning to the area following sustained surveillance.

During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to the murder, the police said, adding that the identity of the deceased has now been established. Further investigation is underway, said isbpector Gade of MIDC Waluj police.