Decomposed body in Sabarmati leads police to murder conspiracy, prime accused arrested

The Local Crime Branch of Zone-2 and Sabarmati Riverfront East police station have cracked the mysterious murder case of a man whose decomposed body was discovered packed in a plastic bag along the Sabarmati riverbed. The police have arrested the main accused, Hitesh alias Ameet Sanghvi (Jain), and identified five others allegedly involved in the premeditated conspiracy to kill the victim, Akash Pawar.

The police launched an intensive investigation after the body was found on May 2 below Indira Bridge, tied with ropes and concealed in a white plastic bag.

Akash Pawar, a 24-year-old resident of Odhav, was identified through missing persons reports. He was last seen leaving home on his motorcycle on May 1. Police registered a murder case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and began scrutinising over 500 CCTV footage clips to trace the events leading to his death.

Investigations revealed that Akash was last seen entering the Sumel-11 commercial complex near Namaste Circle, Madhavpura. CCTV footage showed him parking his motorcycle and entering the second floor of F-block. Later that night, another individual, wearing similar clothes, was seen leaving with a large white plastic bag in a luggage trolley accompanied by a second man. The parcel bore a striking resemblance to the one in which Akash's body was found.

A white Creta SUV, is also seen exiting the basement shortly after, became the key lead. Through human intelligence and technical surveillance, police identified one of the suspects as Hitesh alias Ameet Sanghvi.

Upon interrogation, Hitesh allegedly confessed to orchestrating the murder with the help of acquaintances from his hometown, Barmer, Rajasthan. According to police, Hitesh owed Akash a significant sum of money, and to evade repayment, he conspired to kill him.

The absconding accused have been identified as Teamlesh Ukaram, Hiraram Saluram (both based in Sumel-11), Vinayakumar (a security guard at Sumel-11), Rawtaram Shankarlal (from Barmer) and Hemaram Koshalaram (from Barmer)

During the investigation, police revealed that on May 1, Akash was lured to the shop no. 237-238 in Sumel-11. Inside, he was allegedly tied up, strangled to death, and his body was packed into a plastic bag. The accused then transported the parcel to the basement and disposed of it in the Sabarmati River under Indira Bridge using two vehicles, including the Creta SUV registered in Hitesh's name.

The main accused, Hitesh, was arrested from his residence in Shahibaug. Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects, all of whom are believed to be hiding in Rajasthan and Bihar.