Man held within 48 hours for killing friend over alleged harassment of wife in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The local crime branch (LCB) of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar rural police arrested a 26-year-old man within 48 hours for allegedly murdering his friend over suspicions of harassment of his wife, officials said on Thursday.

The accused man, Sheikh Faiyaz Sheikh Mehmood, a 26-year-old from Rehmania Colony in Kiradpura, is accused of killing Sheikh Awesh Sheikh Parvez (25) by smashing his head with a stone at Kachchi Ghati on May 25.

Initially treated as an accidental death after the body was found under mysterious circumstances, a case was booked at Chikalthana police station. The case took a turn after police identified the victim and tracked the accused through investigation.

Superintendent of police Prakash Jadhav said multiple leads were pursued to crack the case. “Our teams scanned CCTV footage from different locations and collected information about missing persons from nearby districts, including Beed, Jalna, Buldhana, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city. The accused was traced and arrested within 48 hours,” he said.

The police circulated photographs of the unidentified body on WhatsApp groups and activated informers across urban and rural areas, eventually identifying the victim as a Jalna resident who had been staying temporarily on a footpath opposite the district collector’s office.

Deputy superintendent of police Pooja Nagre said the breakthrough came through the victim’s family. “The deceased had left with his friend Sheikh Faiyaz on a black scooter on May 25. Based on the complaint lodged by the victim’s wife, a murder case was registered at the Chikalthana police station under BNS sections 103(3) and 3(5),” she said.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to the crime. LCB inspector Vijaysinh Rajput said, “The accused told us that the deceased was his friend, but he suspected him of having bad intentions towards his wife, and allegedly harassing her despite repeated warnings. On the day of the incident, both of them were consuming alcohol when an argument broke out. In a fit of rage, he allegedly hit the victim on the head with a stone and killed him.”

The police said the accused was produced before the Chikalthana police after medical examination, and further investigation is underway.