Sand trader found murdered near Nagpur tea stall, three friends held
A 38-year-old sand trader was found beaten to death near a tea stall in Nagpur, and police have arrested three friends who were with him the previous night
A murder in the Tehsil police station area of Nagpur caused a stir on Sunday morning. A 38-year-old man was found near a tea stall outside Kasar Bhavan, near Itwari post office, covered in blood. Locals rushed him to Mayo Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on examination. The deceased was identified as Manish Chandrashekhar Mohite, a resident of the Mahal area.
Given the seriousness of the case, police immediately began investigating. On a complaint from Manish's brother, three young men who had been with him were taken into custody and arrested. They have been identified as Nikhil Chavan, Kunal Jhade and Vinay Paunikar. Police said Nikhil and Kunal already had criminal records, and that some cases were also found registered against Manish.
The investigation found that on Saturday night, Manish was with his acquaintances Nikhil, Kunal and Vinay. At around 8:30 pm, Manish called his brother Roshan asking about the car keys. He called again around 10:30 pm asking for money. Manish then asked Roshan to come to the White House Bar at Zenda Chowk, where Roshan found Manish and Nikhil drinking. Kunal and Vinay arrived soon after, and all four sat and drank together. Manish then bought a bottle of liquor and the group left, with Manish and Nikhil on one scooter and Kunal and Vinay on another.
When Manish did not reach home late into the night, his family tried to contact him. On the phone, he told them he was near Tajnekar Murtikar's shop in the Chitar Oli area. Police are still trying to establish the circumstances under which his phone was subsequently switched off.
On Sunday morning, Manish was found near the tea stall covered in blood, with deep injury marks on his body. On receiving the information, Sub-Inspector Madhukar Kathoke of Crime Branch Unit-3 reached Roshan Mohite's house around 9 am to inquire about Manish. It was during this that the family was told Manish had suffered a fatal assault and died in hospital.
Examination of the scene found blood-stained stones near the tea stall, raising suspicion that Manish may have been attacked with a stone, though the exact weapon and details of the assault are still under police investigation. Amit Paunikar, who runs the tea stall, said local residents informed him of the incident in the morning. Suresh Pathrabe, a neighbour, reached the spot with some others and described what had happened at the stall. Manish's brother Roshan then filed a complaint at Tehsil police station.
Manish was in the sand trade and ran a sand business along with Gotu Mohite, a resident of Tumsar. Police suspect a financial dispute or dealings over money could be behind the murder, though the exact motive is not yet clear. Investigators are trying to establish where the four men went after leaving the bar on Saturday night, what they quarrelled over, and how Manish ended up at the tea stall. CCTV camera footage from the area is being examined for this purpose.
Given the seriousness of the case, a Crime Branch team has joined the Tehsil police in the investigation. The three arrested accused are being questioned to piece together the full sequence of events leading to the murder. Police are also examining whether it was the result of a sudden altercation or a premeditated plan. All three accused are currently in police custody and questioning is ongoing.
