Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The two accused who murdered engineer Santosh Raju Petti with a knife late at night on Friday, around 3:30 am, at a hotel near Jhalta Phata on Jalna Road have been arrested by Chikalthana police in Malegaon, Nashik district.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Arjun Yadav (34, Camp Gawli Wada, Malegaon, Nashik) and Nikhil Sambherav (32, Kanchanwadi). Police are still searching for another fugitive accused. The hotel owner, Kedar Badri Shinde, had lodged a complaint in the matter. The incident occurred at Yashwant Hotel near Jhalta Phata around 3.30 am on Thursday night. A dispute arose between the hotel staff and the accused over the bill for a soft drink bottle. Santosh Petti, who had driven to the hotel for a meal, tried to intervene and calm the situation, telling the accused, "This is our hotel, why are you creating a fuss?" Mistaking him for the hotel owner, the accused attacked Santosh with a knife. They also attempted to threaten and injure hotel owner Shinde with the same knife. Santosh succumbed to his injuries. The accused fled the scene in their car. Chikalthana police set up teams to track down the accused. Following this, two suspects were arrested, and efforts are ongoing to capture the remaining fugitive, as stated by PI Radhakiran Darwade. The operation was carried out under the leadership of Additional SP Sunil Lanjewar, Sub-Divisional Police Officer Pooja Nagre, probationary DSP Pawar, PI Darwade and other personals.