A horrifying murder has unsettled the city of Surat in Gujarat amidst the festive period of Diwali. Panic spread through the Katargam area after a headless, naked torso was discovered inside a Christian cemetery located near the Gotalawadi Char Rasta junction. Upon receiving an alert from the police control room on the night of November 3, teams from the local Katargam police station rushed to the scene alongside senior police officers, a dog squad, and forensic science laboratory (FSL) specialists to initiate a forensic examination.
Dispute Over 30000 Rupees Between Factory Colleagues
During the course of the investigation, authorities identified the victim as 30-year-old Sanjay, a resident of the Amroli locality. Inquiries revealed that both the victim and the accused, identified as Sachitra Kumar Narendra Bal, originally hailed from the state of Odisha. The two men worked together as laborers at a textile looms factory situated in the Katargam GIDC industrial belt. The primary investigation established that a bitter feud had been brewing between them over a monetary transaction involving 30,000 rupees, prompting the accused to harbor deep resentment.
Hands Tied Before Fatal Attack With a Meat Cleaver
Driven by the financial dispute, the accused invited Sanjay over to his residence under the pretext of meeting. Once inside the room, the accused tied both of Sanjay's hands to immobilize him and prevent any resistance. He then attacked the victim with a sharp meat-cutting cleaver, murdering him on the spot and severing his head from the body. Seeking to conceal the identity of the deceased and destroy all evidence connecting him to the brutal crime, the perpetrator devised a plan to dispose of the body parts at two separate locations.
Torso Hidden in Tall Grass, Head Dumped Near Railway Tracks
Immediately after the killing, the accused carried the headless naked torso roughly 150 meters from his house and threw it inside the Christian cemetery. Dense grass standing four to five feet tall had overgrown the burial ground, making the torso difficult to locate in the dark. Police officers had to thoroughly comb through the overgrown vegetation to recover the remains before transferring them to a hospital for an autopsy. The severed head, meanwhile, remained unaccounted for during the initial search.
Police Recover Severed Head and Formally Arrest Accused
Intensive interrogation of Sachitra Kumar Narendra Bal led to a breakthrough when the suspect confessed to the execution and subsequent cover-up. He disclosed that on the day following the murder, he transported the severed head nearly three kilometers away, discarding it in the bushes running alongside the railway tracks beneath the Alkapuri Bridge. Guided by his confessions, police teams located and recovered the head. The remains were subsequently transferred to SMIMER Hospital for official DNA verification and requisite post-mortem procedures. The Katargam police have taken the accused into formal custody as further questioning proceeds.
