SURAT: Beheaded and dumped in two different locations, a textile worker’s body was found in a cemetery in Surat, while his severed head was recovered near railway tracks beneath the Alkapuri bridge in Katargam.Police have arrested his 54-year-old co-worker, who allegedly killed him over a seven-month salary dispute.The accused, identified as Sachitra Bal, a textile worker from Odisha, allegedly murdered Sanjay Khosla, with whom he worked at the same textile unit.Dispute over Rs 30,000 in alleged salary deductionsAccording to police, Khosla maintained records of the working hours of all employees at the textile unit. Since Khosla earned more than Bal, the latter suspected that he was deducting money from his wages and pocketing it.Bal believed Khosla’s records had cost him Rs 160 daily for seven months, amounting to a loss of around Rs 30,000. The alleged deductions led to repeated quarrels between the two and strained their relationship.On November 1, Bal allegedly took Khosla to his residence in Rail Rahat Colony, Katargam, on some pretext. During the afternoon, he attacked the victim’s neck with a sharp-edged weapon, killing him.After the murder, Bal allegedly stuffed the body into a sack and, late at night, dumped it in CNI cemetery near his residence after breaking a section of its boundary wall.In an attempt to conceal the victim’s identity, the accused allegedly returned to the spot early on November 3 and severed the head from the body. He then dumped it near the railway tracks beneath the Alkapuri bridge, around 3km away.Police crack case, recover severed headAfter discovering the beheaded body, Katargam police launched an investigation and traced the murder to Bal. He reportedly confessed to the crime and disclosed where he had disposed of the head.Police subsequently recovered the head from near the railway tracks.Katargam police registered an FIR under relevant provisions of the BNS and Arms Act. Further investigation is underway to establish the exact circumstances of the financial dispute and the sequence of events leading to the murder.
