Slippers and rags crack tailor’s murder over Rs 3 lakh loan dispute; two from Maharashtra arrested

Thane: A pair of discarded slippers, clothes and rags found near a decomposed body helped Thane Rural Police swiftly solve the murder of a 35-year-old tailor from Saki Naka, allegedly killed by a Mumbra-based zari worker and his accomplice over a Rs 3 lakh loan dispute.

The body of Shamshad Ali was discovered on Thursday in a secluded area near Vasind. Investigators found multiple stab wounds on the corpse, while the victim’s eyes were blindfolded and his limbs bound with rags, pointing to a carefully planned killing.

Police initially struggled to identify suspects due to the absence of CCTV coverage in the area and the advanced state of decomposition. The investigation gained traction after Ali’s wife identified the clothes and slippers as those belonging to her husband. The rags used to restrain him further led investigators to suspect a link to the textile trade.

The police tracked Ali’s movements before his disappearance and zeroed in on Sayyed Badshah, 38, a zari worker from Mumbra, and his associate Sameer Kalyankar, 43, from Mumbai.

According to Superintendent of Police, Thane Rural, Dr Vinaykumar Rathod, the accused allegedly hatched the murder plot after facing repeated demands from Ali to repay the loan.

“Preliminary investigations suggest that Badshah, who claimed to be a tantrik, lured Ali to Vasind and persuaded him to be blindfolded and tied up under the pretext of a ritual to remove obstacles from his life. Once he was restrained, the duo allegedly stabbed him to death and dumped the body in a nearby area,” Rathod said.

Police have arrested the suspects and are continuing their investigation into the case.