Panvel City Police Nab Murder Accused In Telangana After 7 Years!
The Navi Mumbai Police travelled to Telangana’s Erravalli Village to nab an absconder on the run after allegedly committing a murder in a Panvel village seven years ago, writes Manu Shrivastava
In a chilling episode that unfolded in the annals of crime, Raju Chinnappa Singhsani and his confidant, Krishna Maulappa Ganjhi, allegedly committed a heinous act that shook the tranquillity of a small village.
Their victim, the unfortunate Mohammad Yusuf Master Ali Sheikh, met a grim demise in June 2016, all stemming from a bitter financial dispute.
Singhsani and Ganjhi, who were employed as sub-contractors under Sheikh, apparently owed a substantial sum, amounting to Rs 3.50 lakh. Despite numerous pleas and reminders, Sheikh reportedly refused to settle the debt.
Their nefarious scheme unfolded when Singhsani and Ganjhi, police say, lured Sheikh to an inconspicuous building nestled in Kalundre village, Panvel.
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| Police personnel with the accused (identity concealed) | Panvel City Police PSI Abhay Shinde (second from right) |
Under the pretext of presenting a lucrative contract opportunity at a new construction site, the unsuspecting Sheikh was ensnared. With insidious intent, they plied him with alcohol first, only to kill him later.
Navi Mumbai’s Panvel City Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Abhay Shinde said Sheikh was mercilessly strangled by his supposed friends.
In a desperate attempt to obliterate any trace of their malevolent act, they allegedly removed all identification from the body, ultimately discarding his lifeless body on railway tracks.
The first inkling of this sinister crime came when Sheikh's family lodged a missing person's report with the Chembur police station. The Panvel police soon became aware of this alarming case.
Subsequently, Krishna Maulappa Ganjhi was apprehended, but Raju Chinnappa Singhsani managed to elude the long arm of the law.
A significant turning point in the case occurred when Senior Police Inspector Nitin Thakare assumed command of the Panvel City police station.
Thakare maintains, “The zone’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Pankaj Dahane has initiated this drive of reopening and solving pending cases. As part of the drive and determined to resolve cold cases, we initiated efforts to gather intelligence on Singhsani's whereabouts.”
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| Panvel City Police Senior PI Nitin Thakare |
However, the police faced a daunting challenge, as they lacked any photographic records of the fugitive and only had knowledge of his Telangana origins.
PSI Shinde disclosed, "At his native place, in Telangana’s Mahbubnagar, the locals believed he had died. We enquired for about a month there and finally found out that he is alive and working as a plumber somewhere in Siddipet."
Further investigation revealed he is residing in a rented house with wife and three children in a colony for Project Affected Persons in Erravalli village, which comes under Markook Police Station.”
A four-member team from Panvel City Police comprising PSI Abhay Shinde, Police Head Constable Nitin Waghmare, Police Constable Nitin Kamble, Police Constable Prasad Gharat and Police Mitra Rahul Rathod reached Markook.
An unexpected twist occurred when Singhsani got a whiff of the impending police pursuit and “misled the villagers that his work had concluded, concocting a ruse to leave the village.”
“When we inquired in Erravalli, one grocer identified the accused who turned out to be his friend. He also had Raju’s photograph which we sent to the murder victim’s sister for identification. It was a Pick-And-Run Operation and, within an hour of the victim’s sister confirming Singhsani’s identity, we managed to grab him on the evening of 18 August 2023 from the grocery shop,” added Shinde.
Fortunately, the authorities acted swiftly, apprehending Singhsani, preventing his escape once again from the grip of the law. He was promptly brought to Navi Mumbai for questioning.
Raju Chinnappa Singhsani's day of reckoning finally arrived when he was presented before a local court on August 20, subsequently being remanded in judicial custody.
The chilling tale of Raju Chinnappa Singhsani and Mohammad Yusuf Master Ali Sheikh serves as a stark reminder of the depths to which human nature can descend when gripped by greed and vengeance.
In a pursuit of justice, the diligent efforts of the Panvel police led to the apprehension of a fugitive who had managed to evade capture for years, ultimately bringing closure to a tragic chapter in this small village's history.
“Whenever a crime is committed, it’s only a matter of time before the law catches up with the criminal. He may run but he can’t hide for long,” sums up Senior Police Inspector Thakare.
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