Andheri Court Extends Police Custody of Five in Vile Parle Security Guard Murder

The Andheri Court has extended until August 18 the police custody of five men arrested in connection with the murder of 35-year-old security guard Manoj Yadav during an attempted dacoity at a residential building in Vile Parle (West).

Yadav, who had worked for the past two years at the 10-storey Abhijit residential building, was on night duty when he was killed in the early hours of August 2. According to police, four of the accused tied Yadav's hands behind his back with a cloth rope, strangled him, and dumped his body into a water tank on the ground floor before closing its iron lid.

The Juhu police arrested the five accused on August 7 following technical analysis. The men have been identified as 38-year-old cook Jogeshwar Mallik, 41-year-old driver Vijay Gonjare, security guard Sharad Yerudkar (43), his brother Mahadev Yerudkar (35), and security guard Aniket Bornak (30). Police booked the group on charges of murder, causing the disappearance of evidence, and attempted dacoity.

Investigators said Mallik, who worked for a businessman residing on the building's sixth floor, and Gonjare had planned the robbery for two and a half years to clear accumulated debts. Gonjare owed Rs 8.5 lakh in loans and credit card dues, while Mallik had an outstanding vehicle loan of Rs 35,000.

Mallik had taken the original key to his employer's flat six months prior and replaced it with a duplicate. However, the robbery attempt failed when the key malfunctioned on the night of the break-in, leaving the family unharmed.

Yadav was the sole earning member for his wife Saraswati Devi, three young children, and elderly parents in Itauri village, Madhya Pradesh. To transport his body home for the final rites, friends and relatives pooled Rs 45,000 to purchase three flight tickets on August 4, according to the victim's cousin, Balaram Yadav, a resident of Chakala in Andheri (East).