Mumbai:
Trying to veer away from the wrong side of the law proved fatal for a 25-year-old man, who was allegedly killed when he expressed his willingness to quit his job as driver for a gang of drug peddlers.
Harish alias Bittu Sultan Shah was a resident of Hamalwadi in Kalyan (East). Investigations into his death led cops from the Ulhasnagar Crime Branch to nab two drug peddlers Yusuf Patthan and Irshad Shaikh who were Shah's colleagues in the business.
The police are now on the lookout for seven other individuals who have been accused of involvement in the killing.
Investigations have revealed that Yusuf and Shaikh killed Shah at the behest of their employers Barkat Patthan, Amjad Patthan and Rehmat Patthan, who were the masterminds in the gang.
Investigations have revealed that the murderers used a Maruti Swift marked with the official logo of the Thane Municipal Corporation to cross a toll
naka smoothly and thereafter dump the body.
Harish had gone missing on February 12. "Harish's mother Shahin Sultan Shah had registered a missing person's case for him with the Bajarpeth police station in Kalyan.
She was suspecting that somebody from the drug peddlers' gang might have killed her son and dumped his body," said Bhagwan Yeshod, assistant commissioner of police, Ulhasnagar Crime Branch.
The Crime Branch then initiated an investigation. "We nabbed Yusuf and Shaikh. Upon interrogation, they admitted to have killed Harish, with the help of Barkat, Amjad and Rehmat.
They chose to kill him as he showed willingness to leave the life he was leading with them," said Machindra Chavan, senior police inspector of Ulhasnagar crime branch.
"While working for the drug peddlers, Harish had become a
charas addict. Learning of his addiction, his mother Shahin had urged him to leave the job," said Milind Bharambe, additional commissioner of police, Thane Crime Branch.
Harish shared his plans for reformation with his employers, but they had plans of their own.
"When he approached them asking to be relieved from his job, Barkat, Rehmat and Amjad thought that he might leak the secrets of their illegal trade. They beat him to death.
"We are still searching for Barkat, Rehmat and Amjad, who dumped Harish's body in the sea. Only they can give us more information about where they threw the body," said Chavan.
The police have also seized a Maruti Swift from the accused, which was used to carry Harish's body to the dumping spot.
The vehicle, which bears the official logo of the Thane Municipal Corporation, was used by the members of the gang to evade inspection at toll
nakas when they carried consignments of drugs.