Mumbai: Parents ‘clueless’ about missing plaint

Rohit Yadav, the wrench killer. Pics/Hanif Patel

The parents of the Vasai wrench killer told Valiv police that Rohit Yadav alias Rohit Pal, 29, is "dead" to them as he never visited them after he left home in Ghaziabad almost 14 years ago. "His parents are labourers living in a village in Ghaziabad (bordering Haryana). They told us Rohit left home almost 14 years ago and never returned," said Senior Inspector Jairaj Ranaware of Valiv police station.

Rohit's father Ramnivas Pal told a visiting team of Valiv police that he does not remember if he ever registered a missing person complaint at any police station in Ghaziabad to trace Rohit, who abruptly left home when he was around 15 years old. Asked about how Rohit's parents reacted after learning he had brutally killed a girl in broad daylight, Ranaware said, "His parents told us that he is dead for them as he never visited them in the last 14 years. They said they snapped all ties with Rohit after he left home."

The killer, who would work in a small-scale company based in Vasai East, had stolen the 35-cm industrial wrench with which he assaulted his former girlfriend Aarti Yadav, 20, in the presence of scores of people in Valiv on June 18. "Rohit was a small-scale worker at a Valiv-based company from where he picked up the murder weapon. We have not received any theft complaint related to the missing 'industrial wrench'," Ranaware added. The police said Aarti's parents are satisfied with the quick action taken by them.

Initially, the wrench killer had been providing misleading information about his family. But later, he spilled the beans and informed police that he is originally from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Rohit's fake Aadhar card address mentions that he is from Haryana. The cops are yet to investigate how his fake Aadhar card was made.

Rohit told police that he left home as his father would frequently assault him over trivial issues. He said he left home when he was around 14 years old. He travelled to Haryana and later Gujarat. He moved to Mumbai in search of a better life in 2018 and started to live in a budget-friendly room in Nalasopara. He started dating Aarti who he wanted to marry. Her parents were aware of the relationship and wanted Rohit to buy at least a small house before they got married.

Rohit had been trying to save money, but couldn't manage to save enough. So, Aarti decided to work and augment his savings to buy a house. However, Aarti got interested in someone else at her workplace, which enraged Rohit and he hatched a plan to murder her. Rohit was produced before Vasai court on Thursday and sent to judicial remand. "We have sufficient evidence to file a strong charge sheet against him," said Pournima Chougule Shringi, zonal deputy commissioner of police.