Mumbai Crime: Face wrapped in tape, doctor suffocated to death

Cops with accused Krishna Periyar in Bandra. Pic/Atul Kamble

The 85-year-old doctor, who was killed allegedly by his caretaker who stole his gold chain, died of suffocation and not by strangulation, the report of his post-mortem has concluded, according to the Santacruz police.

Meanwhile, a court on Wednesday remanded Krishna Manbahadur Periyar, the 25-year-old caretaker, in police custody until May 15. Cops have recovered the stolen gold chain.

Periyar admitted to stealing the chain, claiming that he urgently needed money for the treatment of his mother, said an officer. "We are also checking with our counterparts in Nepal to confirm whether his mother is unwell," the officer added.

Police said Periyar insists that he did not intend to kill Naik.

Also Read: Santacruz doctor's murder: Caretaker nabbed from Gujarat

"During interrogation, Periyar told cops that he didn't know that Naik had died. He claimed that he only intended to steal his gold chain, so he covered his face with brown tape multiple times," said the officer.

"Because the tape had covered Naik's face entirely, he must have faced difficulty breathing. We had initially suspected that he died because of strangulation, as his hands and legs were tied with his own clothes. However, the post-mortem report states that he died due to smothering," the cop added.

Periyar allegedly attacked Naik around 6 am on Monday in his residence at Helena Apartments on Central Avenue road in Santacruz West. He fled with his gold chain and a wrist watch. Late at night, he took a train to his village in Saurashtra, but was captured in Ahmedabad by the GRP, who were alerted by the city cops.