A piece of paper with the word ‘ESEL’ written on it proved to be the clinching evidence in solving the murder case of a junior artistes supplier. A rival junior artistes supplier has been arrested for allegedly killing the junior artistes supplier, Santosh Yadav. Another supplier is absconding.
On May 10, the decomposed body of an unidentified man was found in a gutter on the Bombay-Ahmedabad national highway at Nalasopara in Bombay. A chit with the word ‘ESEL’ was found in the trouser pocket of the deceased. The Pelhar police searched online and called more than 150 numbers which resembled ‘ESEL’. They got lucky when they called up Esel Studios located at Mankhurd, Bombay. A police team visited the studio and learnt that a junior artistes supplier, Santosh Yadav, was not reachable on phone since May 7.
During investigations, the police learnt that Yadav was last seen with two other junior artistes suppliers, Sunny Singh and Rohan Pal. The police picked Sunny Singh from his home in Thane on May 14. He confessed having murdered Yadav with Pal’s help. Singh told the police that Santosh Yadav had bagged a big contract to supply junior artistes for a film shooting, which offer first came to him (Sunny). On May 7, Sunny and Rohan asked Yadav to give them a party for having bagged the contract. After Santosh Yadav was drunk, they took him to a secluded spot on the highway and smashed his head with a stone. They then dumped him in a nearby gutter and fled after taking away his cellphone and other belongings. They probably didn’t notice the chit which ultimately led the police to Sunny Singh.
The motive for the murder was professional rivalry. The duo was jealous of Yadav as they felt, the contract should’ve come to them instead of going to Yadav. In a fit of rage, they killed Yadav.
A case of murder has been registered. The police have launched a search for Rohan Pal.