‘Missing Mobile’ mystery solved; Key accused’s associate arrested

• Nabbed while eating biryani at Kranti Chowk after visiting wife in Ramanagar

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

In the murder case of retired professor Rajaram Londhe, police have cracked the missing mobile mystery with the arrest of Akshay Balkrishna Shete (24, Chitegaon), a close friend of main आरोपी Vishal Rathod. Absconding since the case surfaced, Akshay was arrested on Friday by the Crime Branch at Kranti Chowk.

Vishal Rathod and his brother-in-law Akash Pawar were arrested on March 14; Karan Ade, who helped bury the body at Gevrai Tanda, is also in custody. Since the February 6 murder, Londhe’s phone was switched off, last traced near Shahanurmiya Dargah. Vishal later confessed he sent it via Akshay to Pune, where it was destroyed and dumped near Shaniwar Wada.

Mobile disposal: Vishal kept switching the phone on/off for two days to avoid suspicion, sent a messag “Sir, please come home, everyone is worried” after accessing the password, and instructed Akshay to post WhatsApp status before destroying it.

Background: College friends, Vishal had earlier employed Akshay at his hotel; after its closure, Akshay worked at a utensil shop. Vishal had also financially helped him after his father’s death.

Arrest & probe: Hiding in Jalna since March 14, Akshay returned on March 20 to meet his wife in Ramanagar and was caught around 11 pm by a team led by sub-inspector Wagh. A team under ACP Ashok Rajput will probe the destroyed phone in Pune.

Motive: Pune was chosen to mislead police into assuming Londhe travelled there. The phone contained chats and photos linking the आरोपी to the crime, prompting its destruction.