Mumbai: 26-year-old man beats neighbour to death, conceals body at home in Dharavi

A 26-year-old man allegedly killed his neighbour, covered his body in a bedsheet and concealed it in his house in Dharavi area of central Mumbai, police said.

The murder came to light on Sunday when some people in the neighbourhood went to collect maintenance charges from the accused and noticed a foul smell emanating from his house in Sethwadi locality of Dharavi, an official from Shahu Nagar police said. The police were subsequently informed and the victim's decomposed body was found covered in a bedsheet in the accused's house, he said.

A probe revealed that the accused had invited the victim to his house for a drink on Friday night and allegedly attacked him following an argument and killed him on the spot, the official said.

The accused took the victim's mobile phone and watch and kept his body in his room, he said. The accused roamed around casually in the neighbourhood since the crime, before the police laid a trap and nabbed him, the official said.

The accused, who worked as a food delivery agent, has been arrested under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, he added.