Three months after a security guard of a Powai building was found murdered, the police on Sunday arrested his former colleague, who has been on the run since the offence came to light. The police said this is the third murder case against Avinash Pandey (38), with the first two being registered in Uttar Pradesh, from where he hails..
According to the Powai police, the victim, Ankit Singh (22) and Mr. Pandey were employed together as security guards at Lodha Supreme on Saki Vihar Road in Powai. Singh was found with his throat slit in the parking lot of the building on October 27 morning and Mr. Pandey, who was on the same shift, was since missing.
“We made inquiries into Pandey’s background and found out that the Aadhaar card he had submitted as ID proof to his employer had been obtained using fake information, which further pointed the needle of suspicion towards him. We formed several teams and sent them to various locations, including his native place in U.P., ” Assistant Commissioner of Police Milind Khetle, Saki Naka division said.
Through several visits over the last three months, the investigating team got a sense of his movements from people known to him. Officers said the investigation was challenging as Mr. Pandey never stayed in one location for more than a couple of weeks. He also frequently changed SIM cards and cell phones. The police developed informants in U.P. and circulated his pictures among security agencies in various cities in U.P., in case he tried to take up a new job.
On February 15, the police got a tip off that Mr. Pandey had come to Delhi and sent a team to verify the information. The team picked up Mr. Pandey from near Kamla Market in Delhi on Sunday evening, and brought him to Mumbai. He was later arrested and remanded in police custody till February 21.
“Pandey and Singh used to play online Ludo on the night shift and bet money. But they would get into frequent arguments when it came to paying up. One such argument happened on the night of October 26, during which Pandey murdered Singh. He fled the city immediately,” Mr. Khetle said.
Investigations revealed that Mr. Pandey was charged with murder in U.P in the year 2000 over a personal dispute. He also allegedly murdered his cousin in U.P. in 2008 over a property dispute and is still wanted for it.
“Pandey also spent some time in Mumbai between 2000 and 2008, and we are finding out if he committed any crime during that time,” Mr. Khetle said.