19-year-old kills father in Mumbai for cheating on mother; 3 arrested

A 19-year-old stabbed his father to death in Goregaon (East) on Wednesday night, using a screwdriver, allegedly because he suspected his father of having extramarital affairs.

Deputy commissioner of police (zone XII) Vinay Rathod confirmed that prime accused Ajay Pandey has been arrested for murdering his father, Ramai Prasad.

Two friends of Pandey have also been arrested on suspicion of being accomplices, said the police. A third suspected accomplice is on the run.

According to police, Ramai Prasad Pandey, 45, worked as a security guard in Goregaon. His wife and two other sons live in UP. His eldest son is Pandey, whom he had brought to Mumbai a few months ago to work with him.

The police investigation has revealed that a drunk Pandey killed his father on Wednesday night after being taunted by co-workers that Ramai Prasad was cheating on Pandey’s mother. The police have seized the murder weapon – a screwdriver – and blood-stained clothes from Pandey.

On Wednesday night at 10.45 pm, passers-by near Modern Bakery in Aarey Colony reported a dead body on the street. Based on the confessions of the accused, the police believe Pandey and his father had a heated argument outside Modern Bakery, after which Pandey stabbed his father thrice using a screwdriver. Two of Pandey’s friends witnessed the murder. Later, all of them fled, leaving Ramai Prasad’s body on the street. None of them reported the crime.

When the police found Ramai Prasad’s dead body on Wednesday, the only way to identify him was through the mobile in his pocket. The police checked CCTV footage in the area around Modern Bakery and spotted Ramai Prasad getting into an auto rickshaw with three men on Wednesday night around 9pm, at a nearby location in Goregaon (East). Using the phone, the police were able to track Pandey, who was questioned by the police after he came to claim his father’s dead body.

Meanwhile, the body was taken for post-mortem to Siddharth Hospital, where it was found that there were two superficial wounds and one, between the neck and chest, that had been lethal.

When questioned by the police, Pandey denied any knowledge of the murder. He claimed he had last seen his father on Wednesday night when he had asked Ramai Prasad for Rs 500. When Ramai Prasad refused to give him the money, Pandey said he’d got drunk and fallen asleep.

The police suspected Pandey was lying because he did not mention the auto ride with his father and friends. He was interrogated again as were his friends, Vinay Singh, 39 and Suresh Kumar Yadav, 22, who were seen on CCTV footage, getting into the auto with Pandey and Ramai Prasad.

Eventually, the three confessed to the crime. Pandey told the police that co-workers taunted him about Ramai Prasad’s extramarital affairs and that Pandey was further provoked by a recent fight between his parents. Singh and Yadav have said they had no idea Pandey was planning to murder his father. The police are on the lookout for the auto rickshaw driver.

First Published: Jun 07, 2019 01:11 IST