The police had been looking for a man, who has a tattoo saying ‘Menaka’ in his hand.A 60-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his friend after an verbal altercation over Rs 100. A tattoo helped the JJ Marg police arrest the man.
The police said the accused, Shridhar Yallamalli stabbed Tony, both pavement dwellers, on the intervening night of June 27 and 28. Since then, the police had been looking for a man, who has a tattoo saying ‘Menaka’ in his hand.
After questioning over 150 people and detaining five men, the JJ Marg police on Monday arrested Yallamalli from Matunga railway yard. Yallamalli and Tony were friends and would often drink together, said an officer.
“On June 27, Shridhar claims that he gave Rs 100 to Tony to get alcohol for them, but Tony instead spent the money on his own drinks,” the officer added.
This led to a heated argument between the two. In a fit of rage, Yallamalli allegedly stabbed Tony with a sharp iron rod and fled, police said. Around 5.30 am on June 28, the police received a call about a body being found on the footpath at the Dunkar road junction.
“During our probe, we learnt that the deceased would often hang out with a man who has a tattoo in his hand… As he was missing, he became our prime suspect,” the officer said.
The police started inquiring with people from Sasoon Dock, which is at the south end of the city, and then proceeded towards the central suburbs. “We would ask for a man with a tattoo… we interrogated more than 150 people and even detained five men. They were later released,” the officer said.
Eventually, the team reached Matunga. “We came to know that a person with a tattoo has been coming to Matunga railway yard to sleep,” the officer said.
Accordingly, a trap was laid on Monday and Yallamalli brought to the police station, where he confessed to the crime, said police.
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