Two Men Arrested For Murdering 85-Year-Old Relative For Gold In Alibag Taluka

Police have arrested two men for allegedly strangling their 85-year-old relative to death and stealing her gold ornaments in the Poynad area of Alibag taluka. The victim, identified as Sunanda Laxman Patil, was lured from her home on Sunday, and her body was recovered by police investigators from the Mahabaleshwar ghat area on Thursday.

Patil lived alone in a tribal hamlet located in Alibag taluka. Her family members became concerned and approached the local police after her mobile phone became completely unreachable and she could not be traced. This prompted the police to launch a missing person inquiry.

During the course of the investigation, police uncovered evidence suggesting that Patil had been targeted in a planned robbery and murder. The investigators identified the suspects as Andarsh Hiraji Shedge, aged 32, and Ritesh Naresh Lohar, aged 20. Both men are relatives of the victim and allegedly conspired to steal her jewellery.

According to the police, Shedge and Lohar visited Patil on Sunday. The duo persuaded the elderly woman to accompany them by using the pretext of attending a function. Instead, they allegedly took her to the Poynad area of Alibag taluka, where one of the accused men resides, and murdered her.

The suspects allegedly strangled Patil to death to rob her of her gold ornaments. The stolen jewellery weighed between six and seven grams, with an estimated value of approximately ₹1 lakh.

As the missing person investigation intensified, police investigators tracked down leads that pointed directly to the two relatives. During questioning, one of the accused men allegedly revealed the exact location where they had disposed of Patil's body.

Following the confession, police recovered Patil’s body from the Mahabaleshwar ghat area on Thursday, four days after she went missing. Both Shedge and Lohar have been arrested by the police.