Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 26 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Police cracked a month-old blind murder case reported in state capital Bhopal and arrested a man who allegedly killed a person after failing to establish a same-sex relationship with him, a police official said.
The case was cracked after the police traced the deceased, identified as Rajesh Rai's mobile phone. Rajesh Rai (38), a resident of Raisen district, had left his home on May 24 and a missing person report was subsequently registered at Satalapur police station in Raisen district on May 25.
According to the police, on May 29, police received information about a body lying beneath a culvert near Ecological Park on the Jhagaria Highway under the jurisdiction of Katara Hills police station. Documents, clothes and footwear recovered from the spot helped family members identify the deceased as Rajesh Rai.
Speaking to ANI, Katara Hills police station in-charge Sunil Kumar Dubey said the accused, identified as Ajay Mayana (28), a resident of Misrod, had previously been booked under section 377 of IPC and was found to be HIV positive during a medical examination while lodged in Bhopal Central Jail.
Giving further details of the case, Dubey said, "After receiving information about the body, we reached the spot and sent it for post-mortem. As the body was around five to six days old and started decomposing due to the summer heat. In the PM report, doctors clearly mentioned that the skull cap was open and there were injuries on the head and face caused by a hard and blunt object. The detailed report also confirmed the same. We examined more than 2,000 CCTV footage but could not identify the accused."
After that the police analysed the deceased's Call Detail Records (CDR). The phone number was found to be inactive, however, the IMEI number was obtained and traced. The mobile phone was found to be in use. The current user was questioned and then stated one Ajay Mayana had given him the phone, the officer said.
"Mayana said that Deepak had given him the phone. When Deepak was questioned, he claimed he had no role in the matter and had only taken the phone to Old Bhopal to get it unlocked. We then examined the call records of both individuals and found that Ajay Mayana had visited the crime scene location on the night of the incident. Deepak was found to have no involvement. When Ajay Mayana was interrogated further, he confessed to the crime and narrated the entire sequence of events," Dubey said.
He added that primarily a case has been registered under section 103(1) (Punishment for murder) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sahita (BNS) and further investigation into the matter was underway.
Additionally, the officer said, "During interrogation, the accused said he developed a habit of engaging in same-sex relations in 2018. Around 2022-23, a case under Section 377 was registered against him in Misrod. He spent seven to eight months in Bhopal Central Jail, where a medical examination found him to be HIV positive as well. The accused stated that on the day of the incident he was experiencing a strong urge and left home. He travelled several places in the city searching for someone. During which, he found the victim consuming alcohol near the incident site."
The accused approached the victim and asked if he could help him. The victim reportedly said that he had lost his way and had been drinking heavily since the afternoon. The accused then shared a meal with him and asked him to remove his shirt because of the heat. After the victim removed his shirt, the accused took his mobile phone and searched his wallet but found no money. He then threw away the wallet and its contents, the police said.
"Since the victim was heavily intoxicated, the accused allegedly dragged him beneath a culvert where large stones were present. He reportedly made several attempts to establish a sexual relationship. When the victim resisted and did not cooperate, the accused allegedly grabbed him by the hair and smashed his head against the stone and then escaped from the scene," Dubey said.
The police station in-charge further stated that the accused claimed to have had relations with 30-40 people, adding that as of now, they were collecting evidence in the registered case and further proceedings would be executed accordingly. (ANI)
