In a grim turn of events, the Crime Branch unit (Zone II) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police has successfully cracked a blind murder case in Vasai-Naigaon, revealing a shocking tale of violence that left a young man, Lavesh Ramesh Mali, lifeless and abandoned. The victim’s body, discovered in a mutilated state with a crushed head, was found in an isolated area in the Bafane region of Naigaon in Vasai on November 22.
The initial assumption of an accidental death, as per the Accidental Death Report (ADR) filed under Section 174 of the CrPC at the Naigaon police station, took a sinister turn after post-mortem reports confirmed severe head injuries, indicative of a deliberate and violent assault. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Crime Branch unit was called in to spearhead the investigation.
Identifying the Victim: A Challenging Task
The deteriorated state of the body, almost reduced to a skeleton, posed a significant challenge in establishing the victim’s identity. Police Inspector Shahuraj Ranaware shared, “It was a daunting task to ascertain the identity of the deceased.” Undeterred, the investigators circulated photographs of the victim’s clothing and personal items, deploying special teams to sift through missing persons complaints filed in and around the region. The breakthrough came when the family members of the deceased recognized the clothes, leading to the identification of Lavesh Ramesh Mali, a 23-year-old resident of Kaman village who had been missing since November 8.
Unraveling the Tragedy: The Crime Branch Takes Charge
Delving into Lavesh’s background, investigators discovered his addiction to alcohol. Leveraging their informer network, the team set out to gather information about his drinking companions. Acting on inputs and eyewitness testimony, the police apprehended a 30-year-old suspect linked to the crime. The investigation unveiled a harrowing sequence of events – the deceased had been driving the suspect’s auto-rickshaw, which collided with a stationary dumper on the ill-fated night.
The assailant, along with two accomplices, one of whom is a minor, engaged in a drinking session that escalated into a violent altercation. The trio subjected Lavesh to a brutal assault, repeatedly slamming his head against a wall before ultimately crushing it with a boulder. Shockingly, the assailants accused the deceased of stealing Rs. 5,000 from the minor boy’s pocket. While the minor is still evading authorities, the third suspect is already in jail for a vehicle theft case. Plans are underway to bring him into custody for further investigation.
Legal Proceedings: A Shift from ADR to Criminal Charges
The initial Accidental Death Report has now been transformed into a criminal case under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police Inspector Sagar Tilekar has assumed the responsibility of leading the ongoing investigation, with a commitment to unveil any remaining layers of this tragic incident.
In the wake of this chilling revelation, the community is left grappling with the brutality that unfolded in their midst. The story of Lavesh Ramesh Mali serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by law enforcement in untangling the complexities of criminal cases, particularly those shrouded in secrecy and violence. As the investigation progresses, the hope is that justice will prevail for Lavesh, and his grieving family can find some semblance of closure in the midst of this heart-wrenching tragedy.
