The Pune resident detained in connection with the murder of a former journalist at Antop Hill on Tuesday was arrested on Wednesday morning.
Anand Narayan (52) was found stabbed to death after Selvan Devendra informed the police. The police picked up Sarang Patharkar in Pune and brought him to Mumbai on Tuesday night.
“Mr. Patharkar was arrested after inquiries established his involvement in the crime. We produced him in court, and he was remanded in our custody till June 11,” senior police inspector Rajesh Wavhal, Antop Hill police station, said.
Sources said inquiries so far indicate Narayan was killed while he was asleep.
“Mr. Devendra has told us that the three of them consumed liquor together at Narayan’s house as his family had gone to their home town for the holidays. They all went to sleep and a short while later, Mr. Patharkar woke up and told Mr. Devendra about the murder. There was an argument over a monetary dispute between Mr. Patharkar and Narayan in the evening. However, the motive for the murder is still not clear,” an officer with the Antop Hill police said.
The officer said CCTV camera footage shows Mr. Patharkar removing something from the boot of his scooter just before entering Narayan’s building. “The footage is not clear enough for us to be able to discern what the object was, but it was not very large in size and could have been a dagger. We are interrogating Mr. Patharkar to find out if the murder was planned,” the officer said.
The police are also conducting inquiries to find out whether Mr. Patharkar received help from anyone in fleeing or hiding after he left the Narayan residence in the early hours of Tuesday.
The police said Mr. Devendra was questioned at length and after inquiries did not establish his involvement in the offence, a call was taken to not arrest him.
“The law states that anyone who has knowledge of a crime being committed and does not report it to authorities is also liable for action. In this case, Mr. Devendra reported the murder to us,” the officer said.
