The Govandi man who was found dead close to the railway tracks near Vashi railway station, was killed by a drug addict for money, police said on Monday.

The accused, Ashfaw Ali Javed Shaikh (20), was arrested by the Crime Branch Unit 1 on Saturday. Darasingh alias Vijay Suresh Malle (30) from Shivaji Nagar in Govandi was found with his throat and a cutter in his hand in Thursday last week.

While there was initially speculation about the murder being the fallout of an extramarital affair, investigations revealed that he was killed for some rupees to buy whitener, which he was addicted to.

“The accused said he desperately wanted money and stumbled upon Malle sitting alone in an isolated area between Raghuleela mall and the station. He asked Malle to give him money and threatened him with a cutter,” police inspector Sanjeev Dhumal from the Vashi police station, said.

When threatened, Malle, being physically fit, retorted by kicking Mr. Shaikh and walking away. Irked by this, Mr. Shaikh approached Malle from behind and slit his throat. He then placed the cutter in Malle’s hand and fled the scene, Mr. Dhumal said.

CCTV footage and informers helped the police trace Mr. Shaikh, a resident of Mankhurd, who was unemployed and addicted to the whitener.

Malle, who ran scrap business out of his house in Govandi had told his wife on Thursday that he was going to Panvel to check on his other house, which was rented out. However, investigations revealed that he had not gone to Panvel that day. “Even though the accused claims he killed Malle for money, we haven’t stopped probing other angles,” the police official said.