The victim was allegedly lured by the accused under the pretext of a liquor party.

2 years of planning by insider ends in guard's murder, failed Mumbai robbery bid

The main accused has been identified as Jogeshwar Udan Mallik alias Kishan, who worked as a cook for the family whose flat was targeted. Five people have been arrested in connection with the case.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Five people arrested over murder of residential building's security guard
  • Main accused identified as cook employed by a businessman's family
  • The group had planned to commit robbery at the family's flat on the 6th floor

Five people, including a family cook, have been arrested for allegedly killing a security guard of a residential building in Mumbai's Juhu and unsuccessfully attempting to break into an apartment to commit robbery, police said on Saturday.

The main accused in the case has been identified as Jogeshwar Udan Mallik alias Kishan, who worked as a cook for the family whose flat was targeted. According to the police, the murder took place on the intervening night of August 1 and 2.

Security guard Manojkumar Yadav (38) was lured by the accused under the pretext of a liquor party, officials said. He was allegedly strangled with a cloth rope thereafter and the body was dumped in the water tank of the building.

The police probe indicates that Yadav's murder was part of a broader scheme to rob the flat of a businessman residing on the sixth floor of the building, who was also Malik's employer.

The accused had been planning the conspiracy for nearly two years, the police said. Yadav's murder came to light after he was reported missing by the residents.

After killing him, the accused purportedly reached the sixth floor of the building at around 4 am to enter the businessman's apartment. They, however, failed to open the door using a duplicate key, the police said. The accused, subsequently, fled from the spot.

After being caught by the police, Malik allegedly confessed to hatching a plan to kill his employer along with his wife and the daughter, and rob cash and jewellery from their flat.

He had purportedly enlisted the help of Vijay Gonzare, brothers Sharad Yerudkar (41) and Mahadev Yerudkar (35), and Aniket Bornak (30) to execute the plan. All of them have been arrested as well.

- Ends
(With inputs from PTI)