The wife and neighbour of Vijay Chavan, the Nalasopara resident whose remains were found beneath the floor of his house, were detained in Pune on Tuesday in connection with the murder. The duo, Chaman Chavan and Monu Vishwakarma, 22, had allegedly fled two days before the body was discovered by the deceased’s relatives. According to police sources, Monu had switched on his mobile phone to check WhatsApp, enabling us to zero in on their location. “With the help of  the local police, the duo was detained and are being brought to Mumbai,” a told mid-day on Tuesday evening.

The spot where the deceased’s body was concealed

Meanwhile, the Pelhar police told mid-day that Vijay’s relatives identified the body based on its clothes, and a DNA test had also been conducted using the deceased’s brother’s blood sample. The police have theorised that the accused first killed Vijay using sharp weapons or strangulating him, and later buried his body inside his house. The police also believe the body was initially hidden in a bed while labourers were digging the floor. During the investigation, the police learnt, after coming across bank statements, that Chaman had withdrawn over Rs 8 lakh from different ATMs across Nalasopara.