A 60-year-old man was
allegedly stoned to death by three persons in Shahapur area in the district and his body dumped into a stream, police said today.
The incident took place last week but the exact date is yet to be ascertained. Three persons - Ratilal Patil, Santosh Dhage, and Navnath Dhage - hailing from Shahpur, have been arrested, API Pravin Kolhe of Khinavali police station said.
On August 24, a complaint was registered at the Narpoli police station in Bhinwandi that one Ramesh Patil had gone missing, the officer said.
During search, his body was found in a stream and after investigation it was revealed that he was murdered by the three accused, Kolhe added.
"Patil's former two wives had died and he wanted to marry for the third time. The victim was assured by the trio that they would find him a suitable match. Under this pretext, Patil was taken to Shenva village where the the trio killed him," he said.
According to Kolhe, a long-standing dispute over sale of land could be the reason behind the murder.
A case has been registered under section 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) against the accused and investigations are underway, they said.
