Had to pay EMIs of bike, killed HDFC executive for money: Murder suspect

Mumbai: A day after a cabbie was arrested yesterday on suspicions of murdering 39-year-old HDFC executive, the arrested murder suspect confessed about his crime before the Magistrate today.

The murder suspect identified as Sarfaraz Shaikh, aged 20, was arrested yesterday for the murder of HDFC bank Vice President Siddharth Sanghvi in Mumbai.

He was produced before the magistrate where he confessed that he had killed Sanghvi for money to pay his EMIs for his motorbike, HT reported.

Sanghvi was allegedly murdered in a robbery attempt by Shaikh on September 5 in the parking lot of the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel on September 5. Sanghvi’s body was later found on Monday morning, near Kalyan, around 45 km away from Kamala Mills.

“Jo hua woh hua sir, meine hi kiya hai (Whatever has happened has in fact happened and I have done it),” said Shaikh before the metropolitan magistrate at Bhoiwada on Monday.

“Gaadi ki EMI aur paise ka pressure tha aur mein dekhta tha unko upar-neeche jaate (I was under pressure to pay my bike’s EMI and also was in need of money and I used to see him going in and coming out of the building),” Shaikh continued.

The Magistrate stopped Shakik before he could reveal any further details of the murder. He was later remanded to Police Custody until September 19.
According to police reports, Cabbie had slit Snaghvi’s throat when he tried to raise alarm. He later stabbed Sanghvi multiple times before stuffing him into the leg-space of the back seat area.

He took Sanghvi to Navi Mumbai and dumped his body and later left for his residence abandoning the car in the area. But having Sanghvi’s phone with him led to his arrests said Police sources.

The Police are now investigating the murder case to find the motive behind the murder and to know if there were any accomplices of the cabbie who helped him.

Mr Sanghvi usually reached his home in Malabar Hill by 8.30 after leaving office by 7-7.15 pm. But on September 5 Sanghvi left the office around 8pm and was stopped by the Cabbie in the parking lot.

“He would reach home by 8.15-8.30 pm every day, depending on the traffic condition,” sources said.

After Sanghvi did not reach his home by 8.30 pm his family started calling him by the calls were rejected from Sanghvi’s end.

“When another call was made by Singhvi’s family after about 15 minutes, the phone had been switched off,” sources said.

The investigation officers are now suspecting what exactly happened between 8 to 11.20 when Sanghvi’s car was seen leaving the compound.

“It is not known what Shaikh was doing for over three hours after committing the murder,” sources said.