Mumbai police crack murder case behind 'fire incident'

The death of three people in a Sai Baba temple in Mumbai would have passed off merely as an incident of fire because of short-circuiting. However, within hours, the Mumbai Police, which is considered the best police force after Scotland Yard, detected it to be a brutal cold-blooded murder and nabbed two people, including a juvenile, involved in the case.

In the wee hours of Sunday, a fire broke out at the Sai Baba temple at Bandar Pakhadi Road at Charkop in Kandivali West. Three persons, who used to sleep in the temple — Subhash Arun Khode (28), Yuvraj Vasant Pawar (28) and Mahesh Radheshyam Gupta alias Monu (24), who sustained 90-95% burns — died in the incident.

On Monday, the Charkop police nabbed two suspects, a 20-year-old youth and a juvenile.

“Initially, it was suspected that the fire erupted after a blast in the air-cooler and water-cooler. However, later traces of an inflammable substance were detected,” Additional Commissioner of Police (North region) Dilip Sawant said.

While the Mumbai Fire Brigade helped in detecting the technical issues, the police gathered human intelligence.

The arrested duo is said to be working in a nearby shop, and nursed an old grudge with one of the fire victims, said Sawant.

The accused were reportedly harassed by one of the victims, Pawar.

Last Thursday, he had also assaulted the 20-year old accused.

Nursing an old grudge, the duo kept an eye on the movements of Pawar and finally got the opportunity on Sunday.

After a drinking binge on the temple premises, the duo went and emptied petrol from a scooter into a plastic can, splashed it at the temple premises and set it afire.

When a gas cylinder burst, the 20-year-old also sustained minor injuries.

“We have registered a case of murder,” said Sawant.