THANE: The auto driver arrested for rape and murder on
Ambernath-Titwala Road has a history of violent crime, say the police.
"(
Aurangabad native)
Siddharth Naravade (25) was involved in a similar offence in July 25, 2017, where he waylaid a couple at gunpoint and robbed them of their cash and other belongings. He also fired at the man, who got hit on the palm. The case was undetected for eight months. Naravade has now owned up," said Mahesh Patil, SP, Thane (rural). "Nabbing Naravade was a big challenge. He used to choose his targets carefully. His crime scene would mostly be an isolated road."
Last week, Naravade was on Ambernath-Titwala Road when he spotted a man and a woman on a motorbike. The man parked the bike to attend nature's call. The woman, his fiancee, was waiting on the roadside when Naravade attacked them. He shot the boy with his German revolver and raped the woman. After that he fled with their cellphone, cash and other belongings," Patil said.
The case triggered fear on the road. Questions were raised about police patrolling. Patil said he deployed a 50-member team of cops, instructing them "to work dawn to dusk until the killer and rapist was arrested".
"The first clue came from the phone of the rape survivor, which Naravade had taken with him. When it was switched on, it showed its location to be near Nehru Chowk, Ulhasnagar. Our team immediately swooped down on the area and combed the entire town. We found the boy using the phone, and he said he had bought it from Naravade. The boy led us to the lodge where Naravade was," Patil said. Meanwhile, a police artist had also drawn a sketch of the accused on the basis of descriptions given by the rape survivor and the boy.
When the police reached the lodge, Naravade detected their presence and fled. He returned on Sunday morning to fetch his revolver, but the police were still around the place. He started running, but the cops caught him after a 1km chase.
The police found porn on him. An officer said Naravade looked a bit unsound by mind. "He bought his revolver from a friend in Shirdi for Rs 25,000. Its market rate is Rs 1 lakh," the officer said.
