The Sakinaka police detained four minors Thursday for allegedly killing a 24-year-old youth and abandoning the body in a deserted area in Andheri (East).
The body of Gurunath Sawant was found at a deserted BMC reserve plot near Chandivali Farm Road area Wednesday.
Police said Sawant and the four minors lived in the same neighbourhood at Sangharsh Nagar in Chandivali.
The suspects allegedly murdered Sawant on October 7 by stabbing him with knives and choppers before crushing his head with a stone. They were irked over being considered suspects for the crimes Sawant allegedly committed, police said.
“The four minors alleged that Sawant would commit thefts and then pin the blame on them. However, there are no police records to corroborate their claims. Neither Sawant nor the four had been arrested in the past,” said senior inspector Prasanna More.
The minors were picked up from near their residence Wednesday. They were sent to a juvenile home Thursday. Sawant’s father, an autorickshaw driver, told police in his statement that Sawant had left his residence around 5 pm on October 7 and had gone missing.