‘Entered house asking for water, raised TV volume, killed her’: Freed 8 months ago for ‘good behaviour’, Kalyan man murders again; held

KALYAN: Two weeks after a 60-year-old woman was killed in Kalyan, a 30-year-old man, Chand Sheikh alias Akbar, has been arrested in the case eight months after he was released from jail in another murder case.
The police said that he had entered the house of Ranjana Patekar, to ask for water. He allegedly killed the woman after raising the volume of the TV set in her house and fled with her gold. Sheikh, a resident of Ambivali near Kalyan, has confessed to the crime, the police said.
The police found out that the man had, in 2014, killed another woman also from Kalyan in a similar manner when he worked as a gas cylinder delivery boy. Sheikh and another delivery boy had been convicted for life, but he had been released from jail eight months ago for ‘good behaviour'.
In the latest case, the police had initially arrested the neighbour of the deceased woman after the dead woman's family had expressed suspicion on the neighbour. The police said they continued to probe the case as they were "convinced that the neighbour was innocent".
According to officials of Khadakpada police station, on the day of the crime (Mar 20), Patekar was alone in the house. Sheikh, who used to lived nearby would pass by her house frequently, asked her for water. A police official said: "When she went inside the house to fetch water, he entered the house, toned up the volume of the TV set after which he gagged her and pushed her to the floor and strangled her...He grabbed all the jewellery she was wearing, worth more than Rs 1 lakh."
Deputy commissioner of police Atul Zende of Kalyan zone said that his investigation team learnt that neither had people in the neighbourhood heard any cry for help nor had they seen anyone pass by. "This indicated that the accused is someone known or someone from the locality," the official said.
Zende said, "That locality is completely dense and has no CCTV. On suspicion expressed by the woman's family, our team arrested the neighbour with whom the woman had had a quarrel."
Howeever, during investigation no evidence was found against the arrested neighbour the police team continued the probe.
During this time, under the guidance of senior inspector Amarnath Waghmode of Khadakpada police station, assistant inspector Vijay Gaikwad and Anil Gaikwad with other staff, probed all suspects in the area and interrogated them.
Zende said that about 25 people were interrogated. Since the accused earlier lived in Kolsewadi area, and later came to live in this area after being released from jail recently, it took time for the police to reach him.
Assistant commissioner Kalyanji Ghete said that Sheikh had not been able to find work after his release from jail. "He wanted to set up some new business of making momos, for which he needed money. So, he planned the murder."