Two held for brutal murder of chilli trader who chased bike thieves in Jalna

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Two men have been arrested in connection with the killing of a 46-year-old chilli trader from Jafrabad in Jalna district, who was attacked along with his nephew while chasing motorcycle thieves.

The accused — Mahesh Gyanadev Sonawane (25) and Nilesh Sanjay Pawar (25), both from Sindkhed Raja in Buldhana — were produced before a court on Sunday, and remanded in police custody till Wednesday.

The victim, Sheikh Mohsin Sheikh Majid, was killed after he and his nephew, Sheikh Sahil Sheikh Mobeen, attempted to stop the duo allegedly fleeing with a stolen motorcycle in the early hours of May 29. During the chase, the attackers reportedly assaulted Mohsin and Sahil with sharp-edged weapons. Mohsin was fataly injured, while Sahil sustained serious injuries.

Following the incident, the accused went into hiding, prompting an extensive manhunt by the Jafrabad police and the Jalna Local Crime Branch across Marathwada and Vidarbha.

The police said the accused frequently changed locations and tried to mislead the police, forcing teams to rely on technical analysis, intelligence inputs and informants to track them.

Jalna superintendent of police Teghbir Singh Sandhu confirmed that the accused were eventually apprehended after days of search operations and that the weapons used in the crime were also recovered.

The police said the suspects had fled immediately after the attack. Inspector Satish Jadhav said the arrests have brought relief to the local trading community, which had been shaken by the killing. The court has granted police custody till June 10 as further investigation continues.