Mira-Bhayandar: The death of a 42-year-old crane operator which was initially registered as a case of accidental death at the Pelhar police station turned out to be pre-planned murder driven by enmity.

According to the police, they were informed about a body lying opposite the Brahma Petrol Pump on the highway in Vasai at around 10 pm on 14, January.

Assuming it was a hit-and-run case which resulted in the death of the victim identified as- Prabhu Kumar Lutan Jha (42), the police initially registered an offence under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Motor Vehicle Act for causing death due to negligence and rashly driving on a public way against the driver of the unidentified vehicle.

During the course of investigations by a crime detection team led by senior police inspector-Jitendra Vankoti, it transpired that Jha who was working as a crane operator had a fight with his employer-Sanatan Binay Singh (49)- a resident of Vasai.

After confirmation, the police team took Singh into custody for questioning during which he admitted to have murdered Jha by assaulting him on his head by an iron rod before dumping his body on the highway.

The accused claimed that he was irate over the nuisance created by Jha who used to arrive at his work place in an inebriated state and hurl abuses at him and also pick-up quarrels with other workers.

The police changed the sections and registered a case of murder against Singh who has been remanded to custody. Further investigations were underway.