Santacruz doctor’s murder: Caretaker nabbed from Gujarat

Murlidhar Purshottam Naik, the deceased

The Santacruz police have caught the 25-year-old caretaker, who allegedly killed his 85-year-old employer after snatching his gold chain. He was trying to flee to his village when he was nabbed at Ahmedabad railway station. Police are also conducting an enquiry against the company for hiring the accused without police verification. They are verifying the details of 35 other caretakers hired by the company.

Last week, Krishna Manbahadur Periyar was trying to sneakily take Murlidhar Purshottam Naik's 20-gm gold chain out when the latter woke up. A fight ensued and Periyar killed Murlidhar, police said. Murlidhar and his wife Uma Naik lived at Helena Apartments on Central Avenue road in Santacruz West. In January, they hired a caretaker via Health Care at Home India Pvt Ltd, but he went to his hometown on May 1 and was replaced by Periyar, a resident of Ahmedabad.

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The police bring accused Krishna Manbahadur Periyar to the DCP office in Bandra, on Tuesday. Pic/Atul Kamble

Around 9.30 pm on Sunday, the couple had dinner together and then went to sleep in different bedrooms. Periyar slept on the floor in Murlidhar's bedroom. According to a cop, "Late Sunday night, Periyar stuffed Murlidhar's mouth with small pieces of clothes and taped it, then tied his hands and legs and strangled him. He then covered his body with a bed sheet and left. The next morning, when the cook went to his bedroom to serve tea, she found him dead. She informed Uma and the police were alerted." Periyar had switched off his mobile phone.

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A special team was formed of Deputy Commissioner of Police In-charge Krishnakant Upadhyay, Senior Inspector Rajendra Kane of Santacruz police station, Inspector Mahesh Bolkotgi, Amar Patil, Assistant Inspectors Prakash Lahane, Tushar Sawant, Suyog Amrutkar, Umesh Sonawane and Vijay Ingale, Sub-Inspectors Dhananjay Awhad and Hanmant Patil, constables Inayatulla Mokashi; crime branch team Sub-Inspectors Kishor Parkale and Rajendra Pednekar and constables Pravin Jadhav and Vijay More.

Police located his brother in Mumbai and learnt from him and Periyar was taking the Saurashtra Express train to his village. Police found out that Periyar had boarded the train from Borivli railway station at 9.54 pm and informed the Ahmedabad Government Railway Police (GRP). When the train reached Ahmedabad, the GRP caught him and handed him over to the Santacruz police.

According to his family members, Periyar had his eye on the gold chain since the day he arrived at their home. The couple's son-in-law said, "Uma had often told Murlidhar not to wear the chain all the time. But he insisted, saying the chain was lucky as it was from the GSB community in whom he believed." A cop said, "Every citizen has to do a police verification before keeping any caretaker at home."