Daijiworld Media Network – Jalgaon

Jalgaon, Apr 21: A shocking murder of a 32-year-old man over an old dispute has sent shockwaves through Chopda town in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district. The victim was brutally stoned to death, with police initially struggling to establish his identity.

The deceased has been identified as Pradeep Rajendra Mali (32), a daily wage worker engaged in loading work. His body was found near Tiranga Chowk in the Hatnur Patchari area of Chopda town.

Police said the identity of the victim could not be immediately confirmed and was later established based on a tattoo on his hand, his clothes, and a wedding invitation card found in his pocket.

In connection with the case, police have arrested Chetan Subhash Kanade, a resident of Patil Gadhi, near Dhanora village. Two other accused are currently absconding, and a team from the local crime branch has been dispatched to Mumbai to trace them.

During the investigation, CCTV footage revealed that at around 9.03 pm on Sunday, Pradeep was seen travelling on a two-wheeler along with Vijay Vaidkar and Nirmal Badgujar, who are suspected to be involved in the crime.

Police suspect that the murder was the result of an old enmity. On March 13, accused Chetan Kanade had allegedly set fire to Pradeep’s pan stall, which had led to a dispute between them.

Pradeep had been missing since around 9 pm on Sunday night, and his body was discovered at around 7.30 am the next morning.

Based on a complaint filed by the victim’s father, Rajendra Mali, police have named Chetan Kanade as the main conspirator behind the murder.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed at the rural hospital where the body was brought, as relatives of the deceased broke down in grief and demanded immediate arrest of all accused. The postmortem is set to be conducted at the Government Medical College in Jalgaon.

The family has refused to perform the last rites until all the accused are taken into custody. Police said further investigation into the case is underway.