Nagpur: In a chilling case of robbery and murder, Nagpur Crime Branch has cracked the brutal killing of a migrant labourer from Chhattisgarh who was allegedly lured into an autorickshaw on the pretext of being dropped at a railway station, robbed, mercilessly assaulted and thrown onto the roadside to die.
The breakthrough came after investigators painstakingly examined more than 100 CCTV camera footages across the city, eventually identifying the suspects through distinctive features of the autorickshaw used in the crime.
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The victim was identified as Hemlal Dhritlahare (32), a native of Chhattisgarh who had been working as a labourer in Nagpur. According to the police, he was waiting at Azamshah Chowk to catch a vehicle to Itwari Railway Station so that he could return to his native village when the incident occurred.
Investigators said that late at night, three men roaming around the city in an autorickshaw spotted Hemlal carrying a travel bag and allegedly decided to rob him. They struck up a conversation, during which the victim informed them that he wanted to go to Itwari Railway Station. The trio then allegedly offered him a lift and made him board the autorickshaw.
Instead of taking him to the railway station, the accused allegedly drove around the city for several hours. During the journey, they allegedly assaulted Hemlal and robbed him of approximately Rs 2,500 in cash. When they searched his bag and found no valuables, they allegedly threw the bag onto the road before launching a brutal assault on him.
Police said the accused then pushed the critically injured labourer out of the moving autorickshaw and abandoned him on the roadside, leaving him to die.
After receiving information about the injured man, Lakadganj Police rushed him to hospital. However, despite medical treatment, Hemlal succumbed to his injuries.
With no immediate clues, the investigation was taken over by Crime Branch Unit-III, which launched an extensive technical probe. Officers scrutinised footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras installed along various routes to reconstruct the autorickshaw’s movement.
The investigation took a decisive turn when police identified the vehicle by two unique features, a distinctive round side mirror and a torn piece of cloth hanging from the rear of the autorickshaw. These visual clues enabled investigators to trace the vehicle to its registered owner.
During questioning, the owner informed police that the autorickshaw had been rented out about 20 days earlier to Mohammed Asif Sajid Shaikh.
Police subsequently detained Mohammed Asif, who allegedly confessed to the crime during interrogation. Based on his disclosure, Crime Branch arrested his two alleged accomplices, Praful Chaudhary and Mohammed Asif alias Monu.
All three accused have been handed over to Lakadganj Police for further investigation and legal proceedings.
Police said the case highlights the crucial role of CCTV surveillance and meticulous forensic investigation in solving what initially appeared to be a blind robbery-cum-murder. Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether the accused were involved in similar crimes in the past.
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