Team Herald
PONDA: Ponda police arrested Nilay Shabi Naik (29), a resident of Haldai in Shiroda, the nephew (brother’s son) of Shiroda panch Suhas Narayan Naik (55) who has already been arrested in connection with the murder of Rajendra Pundalik Naik (50) of Haldai, Shiroda which took place on 14 December.
The seven days of hard work by Ponda police on the case forced the accused to surrender to court on Friday.
Ponda PI Mohan Gaude said that Nilay is the prime accused in the case and police have obtained his custody for three days. “We are yet to recover the weapon used in the attack and the investigation is progressing well after the arrest of the main accused,” he said.
PI Gaude said that the custody of Panch Suhas has also been extended by three days.His nephew Nilay had earlier in the morning surrendered before the local court following which he was taken into custody. The prime accused Nilay was absconding after the murder of Rajendra Naik.
On the evening December 12, there was a scuffle between the accused panch and the victim over who should own the fishing sluice gate. Following this at midnight, the victim was attacked on his head with a hard object and police had found his body lying around 400 meters away from his house. Since there was previous enmity between the panch and the victim, police arrested the panch in the case and registered an attempt to murder case under Section 307.
But as the victim succumbed to injuries, police registered a murder case under Section 302 against the panch.
Prime accused Nilay is understood to be working in the bar of his
uncle Suhas Naik who used to regularly auction fishing sluice gate (Manas). However, he got angered with the victim for auctioning the fishing sluice gate to some other party. This irked the accused panch and who got into a scuffle with victim. Later, the victim was attacked in the late midnight and allowed to lay unattended without medical aid. Locals going for morning jogging found the victim lying on the road and informed police. Following this, the panch was arrested.
