Transfers receive mixed reactions from policemen, but it worked in the favour of two accused wanted for murder since 2006. After learning that most of the personnel at the time of their offence had been transferred, the duo returned to stay with their families. However, local informants recognised them and immediately tipped-off the police.
According to the Thane Police, the duo were among the five accused in the murder of Vaitywadi resident Vicky Patil. They had attacked Patil and his friend Deepak Machchi in November 2006.
An officer with the Crime Branch said, “The intended target of the attack was Machchi. The main accused, Rakesh Yadav, had an affair with his sister and he burned her alive after she got pregnant. Fearing revenge from her family, Yadav with the help of his two brothers and two friends attacked Machchi and Patil, who was with him at the time. Patil succumbed to multiple stab wounds, while Machchi survived and identified the accused.”
The Vartak Nagar police had at the time arrested Yadav and his two brothers, Pappu and Sonu Yadav, while the other two accused, Amar Nadar and Laxman Vitkar, had fled the city.
On Tuesday, the Unit V of the Crime Branch received a tip-off that Nadar and Vitkar, accused in the 11-year-old murder case, were returning to their houses in Hardasnagar area in Thane. Officers with the Unit V laid a trap and picked up both of them for inquiries, after which their role in the 2006 murder was confirmed.
The officer said, “The accused through some of their friends learned that most of the police personnel who were with the Vartak Nagar police and the Crime Branch Unit V had now been transferred. Assuming none of the current personnel would recognise them they decided to return to Thane.”
The duo was handed over to Vartak Nagar police for further investigations. Inquiries also revealed that one more accused, identified as Dara, was also involved in the murder and is still absconding.
