Double murder: Neighbours recall key accused Vidyadhar as

Image
Press Trust of India Mumbai
Last Updated : Dec 18 2015 | 9:42 PM IST
Neighbours of Vidyadhar Rajbhar, the prime accused in the double murder of artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani, recalled him as a reclusive who mostly kept to himself.
Vidyadhar, who is on run, was a resident of Charkop in suburban Kandivli (west) and used to stay in a rented flat with his wife, mother and sister in a two-storey building.
"Vidyadhar shifted here with his family four months back. Though our interaction with Vidyadhar was very limited, he seemed to be a very simple person and used to keep to himself. We never had any problem with him," said Yagnesh Jatwal, who runs a tailor shop, opposite to Vidyadhar's building.
Jatwal recalled that Vidyadhar had distributed sweets to his neighbours after birth of his daughter four months back.
"His sister used to visit my shop for tailoring work," he said.
Jatwal said Vidyadhar was last seen on Saturday, the day when bodies of Hema and Bhambhani were found packed in cardboard boxes covered with plastic sheets in a drain in Kandivli.
Another neighbour said that police sealed Vidyadhar's flat on Sunday morning.
"A large crowd had gathered here on Sunday morning and when I came here, I found police sealing his flat," he said.
Police have so far arrested Vijay Rajbhar, Azad Rajbhar, Pradeep Rajbhar and Shivkumar Rajbhar alias 'Sadhu' in connection with the double murders.
Meanwhile, a police official said they are tracking Vidyadhar's location by putting his mobile phone under surveillance.
"We are trying to trace him, but he has switched off his mobile phone," he said.
Police had on Tuesday said that Vidyadhar's last location was traced to Itarsi railway station in Madhya Pradesh and that he may surrender soon.
Meanwhile, Hema's lawyer Vinod Gangwal said the deceased's family has already named Chintan Upadhyay, Hema's estranged husband, in their statement and that police are "duty-bound" to include his name in the FIR.
"If police do not do that (include Chintan's name in FIR), we will approach court," he said, adding that the police should have recorded statement of the family immediately after the murder came to light and not after four-five days.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Dec 18 2015 | 9:42 PM IST

Next Story