Severed legs found in Pimple Gurav identified through SIM card; Vishnu Kumbhar arrested

Sangvi police have solved the case of two severed legs found in a heap of garbage in Pimple Gurav. According to the police, the victim was identified from a discarded SIM card. He is Anil Khade, 50. Police have arrested Vishnu Kumbhar, also known as Pintya, in connection with the case.

The case came to light at about 11 am on Friday, November 6. Municipal sanitation workers clearing roadside garbage near Lane No. 3 in Shrinagar, Pimple Gurav, saw two human legs in a plastic sack. The spot is on the road connecting Katepuram Chowk and the Ramkrishna Mangal Karyalaya.

A call was then made to the 112 helpline. Sangvi police and a Crime Branch team reached the spot. Preliminary examination suggested that both legs had been cut off below the knees and belonged to a man. Police searched the surrounding area for the other body parts and also called in a dog squad, but found no further evidence there.

On close examination of the sack, police found a SIM card holder with a mobile number printed on it. Police contacted the registered owner of that number, who turned out to be a contractor. He said he had given the SIM card to one of his labourers, Anil Khade.

Police then began tracing Khade. His wife and son were questioned, but they could not immediately identify the legs on seeing them. The inquiry found that Khade had not been living with his family for about two years and often moved from place to place.

A photograph on the son's phone showed Khade lying down in an intoxicated state, with his legs clearly visible. Police compared the photograph with the recovered legs and found considerable similarity. This helped set the direction of the investigation.

Questioning of Khade's acquaintances led police to Vishnu Kumbhar. He is said to be known as Pintya, and Khade often spent time with him. A police team traced Kumbhar's house in Vinayak Nagar, New Sangvi.

Officers are said to have noticed a strong stench from the house. On peering through a gap in the window, they suspected a body was lying inside. On entering the locked house, police found Khade's torso hidden there. Both legs were missing.

According to the police's preliminary information, Khade had a serious head injury. Investigators suspect he was attacked with a sharp weapon such as a sickle and an iron rod, and that the body was then cut up. It is alleged that the legs were cut off and thrown separately into the garbage at Shrinagar.

Police suspect that Khade and Kumbhar were drinking together when a quarrel broke out, and that the fatal attack allegedly took place in the course of it. Both are said to have been habitual drinkers. Police are piecing together the sequence of events and gathering more evidence to establish the full circumstances.

Sangvi police are continuing to investigate the murder and the disposal of the body parts at different places.