Thane, June 21: The police have arrested four persons for allegedly killing a retired railway employee over money and burying his body in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Wednesday. A resident of Kalyan, victim Gopal Rangayya Naidu (62) worked as a ticket checker with the railways before his retirement in July 2021.

According to the police, Naidu received Rs 26 lakh after his retirement of which he had given Rs 10 lakh to his friend Ramesh More. In October 2022, Naidu sought his money back for his son's college fees but More was evasive. Naidu then mortgaged his house to raise funds for his son's studies, the official said. Mumbai Shocker: Dead Body With Hands and Feet Tied Found at Under-Construction Building in Lalbaug, Murder Case Registered.

Naidu got into a heated exchange with More in January 2023 after the latter did not repay the money, the official said. On June 3, Naidu went missing. Ten days later, his family was informed by the police about the discovery of a highly decomposed body in a field in Shahpur. As the family identified the body as Naidu's on the basis of a ring and cloth on it, More went underground, the official said. Mumbai Shocker: Railway Staffer Killed While Shunting Trains in Western Railway’s Carriage Repair Workshop in Lower Parel.

The police have so far arrested four persons, including the one in whose field the body was found, in connection with the case, though More remains still at large, he said. Inspector Rajkumar Upase of Sahapur police station said they have registered a case under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence).