Five Arrested After Missing Man's Skeleton Found In Nalasopara Water Tank

Police recovered the skeleton of a 32-year-old history-sheeter from the water tank of a housing complex in Nalasopara, Palghar district, and arrested five men for his murder, officials said on Saturday. The discovery was made nearly five months after the victim went missing.

The deceased, identified as Ravi Bidlan, had been missing since January 15. According to officials from the Achole police station, under the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police commissionerate, Bidlan was facing several serious criminal cases.

The investigation gained momentum on Friday when the victim's brother, Pankaj, approached the police with new information. Pankaj alleged that Ravi had been murdered by a group of individuals who then dumped his body into a water tank.

Following the tip-off, a police team searched the housing complex and recovered the skeleton from the water tank. The family identified the remains as those of Ravi Bidlan based on the clothes found with the skeleton.

Police investigations revealed that a few days before he went missing, Bidlan had allegedly assaulted Rohan Jagdale, who is also known as Tiger. To seek revenge, the accused individuals allegedly bludgeoned Bidlan to death by smashing his head with a stone and threw his body into the water tank to destroy evidence.

Following the complaint filed by the victim's brother, police arrested the primary accused, 22-year-old Rohan Jagdale.

Four other suspects were also apprehended: Karan Shankar Shettyar (22), Utkarsh Anand Avasarmal (20), Shakti Sunil Singh (28), and Sumit Azad Sarsar, alias Bapurna (25).

According to the police, all five arrested suspects are history-sheeters. A case of murder has been registered against them. The recovered skeleton has been sent for forensic analysis, and the police are awaiting the official report.