Taking the cell phones of his victims proved costly for the Mira Road double murder accused as the police used cellular location mapping to nab him on Friday night.

A joint team of the Mira Road police and the Thane Rural Crime Branch arrested Kallu Yadav (35), a waiter at Shabari Hotel, for allegedly killing the hotel’s manager, Harish Shetty, and the cleaner, Naresh Pandit.

The Mira Road police had registered a murder case after the bodies were found in the hotel’s water tank on Thursday night.

The police found the cell phones of the victims missing, and started tracking their locations. Shetty’s cell phone was traced to Pune and a team was sent there. As Mr. Yadav was missing and incommunicado, another team was sent to his native place to find him.

‘Anger over mistreatment’

Using cellular location mapping, the team picked up Mr. Yadav from near a bar in Parvati in Pune. He was brought to the police station for questioning, where he allegedly confessed to killing the victims with a spade.

Dr. Shivaji Rathod, superintendent of police (Thane Rural), said, “The accused said the duo did not pay him any money and gave him just plain food to eat while they ordered more luxurious items from other restaurants. This angered him and he killed both of them after consuming liquor on May 30.”

Dr. Rathod said Mr. Yadav had a criminal past and the hotel’s owner failed to do a background check before employing him. The owner also did not submit Mr. Yadav’s details to the Mira Road police station while hiring him.

Dr. Rathod said, “The accused has served jail time for killing two watchmen in Kolkata. He has two other cases registered against him with the Pune Police. We appeal to citizens to undertake basic precautions while employing people in their houses or establishments.”