Mumbai, Dec 26 (TOI): Each of the three warehouse workers and the tempo driver in police custody for the murder of artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Haresh Bhambhani were promised Rs 2 lakh for the job, the police said on Thursday. An advance of Rs 2.5 lakh had already changed hands between Hema's estranged husband and main accused Chintan Upadhyay and wanted accused and warehouse owner Vidyadhar Rajbhar. The police are scrutinizing Chintan and Vidyadhar's bank accounts.

"He had promised a total sum of Rs 12 lakh to all the accused. Vidyadhar was to get the largest share," said a police officer.

Chintan's lawyers visited him in lock-up on Thursday. Also, Vidyadhar's mother and his wife were questioned for several hours at the Kandivli police station in the evening. Cops believe that Vidyadhar, who is on the run, will certainly try to establish contact with his wife or his mother. His mother was in their hometown in UP when the murders were committed.

After learning of his wife's disappearence, Chintan had come down to Mumbai and stayed over at a friend's place in Chembur. The police on Wednesday questioned his friend's house help. A bunch of Chintan's friends, who had been present at the police station for days together, have now been asked by the police to stay away . "Nobody is being allowed to meet Chintan. We have asked his father to stay put in Rajasthan. Chintan suffers from a severe back problem and we are concerned about his health," said a friend who had come down from Vapi. He said he was convinced that Chintan isn't involved in the murders.

Investigators have also been questioning Chintan frequently since Wednesday . "He has not shown any aggression and answers all questions coolly . We had thought he might say something in his defence in court, but was quiet. He has been having his meals properly ," said an official. The police are now confronting Chintan with statements made by his co-accused to elicit responses from him.
A team of detection officers from the north region has been formed to "build a watertight case", an officer said.