Suspended cop, minister's ex-PA held; TV actress detained for killing diamond trader

Mumbai: Two persons, including a suspended police constable, were arrested on Saturday in connection with the killing of a diamond trader whose body was found in adjoining Raigad district, 10 days after he went missing, police said.  A popular television actress and model has also been detained in the case.

The trader, Rajeshwar Udani, a resident of Mahalaxmi Society in suburban Ghatkopar, had gone missing on November 28. The 57-year-old’s decomposed body was found at Panvel in Raigad district Friday, police had said.

Police identified the accused as Sachin Pawar and Dinesh Pawar. Sachin Pawar is a former personal assistant (PA) of a Maharashtra minister, while Dinesh Pawar is a suspended police constable who was arrested earlier in a rape case, a police official said.

They were taken into custody after interrogation, he said.

Television actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee, known for her role in the popular television drama series “Saath Nibhana Sathiya”, was detained after interrogations in connection with the case, the official said. The police, however, did not reveal her role in the murder case. 

Several other persons were still being interrogated in connection with the case, the official said.

It appears the trader was murdered due to a monetary dispute with the accused and for eyeing a female friend of Sachin Pawar, DCP (Zone VII) Akhilesh Singh said.

According to police, Udani’s son had lodged a missing complaint at the Pant Nagar police station on November 29 when his father did not return home.

During the probe, it came to light that an unidentified body has been found in Panvel, about 60km from Mumbai, police had said, adding that it was later identified as that of Udani.

Post-mortem revealed fractures at several places in the body and death by strangulation, Singh said.

The accused were booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 365 (kidnapping) and 120b (conspiracy), Singh added.