Thane man held for killing acquaintance for harassing his wife

Thane: Police have arrested a 30-year-old man in Maharashtra's Thane district for allegedly killing an acquaintance who used to harass his wife, officials said on Tuesday.

On January 11, Sukant Shatrugana Parida (29) died in the house of the accused, Naresh Shambu Bhagat (30), who himself informed police about the man's death at his residence in Badlapur area, they said.

The police sent the body to a government hospital for post-mortem and initially registered a case of accidental death.

During the probe into the case, the police worked on several leads and detained Bhagat based on suspicion, a police release said.

After extensive interrogation, Bhagat told the police that the deceased used to come to his house frequently and harass his wife which would lead to quarrels between the two men as well as the couple, it said.

Fed up with Parida's behaviour, the accused hatched a plan to eliminate him. On January 10 night, the accused called him to his house, served him liquor and then allegedly hit on his head with a hammer and an iron rod following which the man died, the police said.

The accused has been arrested and booked under section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), they said.