Thane, Apr 16 (PTI) The body of a 54-year-old powerloom unit owner and real estate developer, who had been missing since April 12, was discovered in a forested area near a village in Thane district with police suspecting it to be a case of murder, an official said on Wednesday.

The businessman, Faradhi Sheikh, a resident of Bhiwandi town, was found dead near Kharivali village on late Tuesday evening. Police have registered a case of murder, destruction of evidence and are actively pursuing leads to identify and apprehend the culprits, said the official.

Speaking to the media, Inspector Vinod Patil of the Shanti Nagar Police Station said the body of Sheikh, who besides owning a powerloom unit also worked as a property developer, has been sent to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination.

According to preliminary information, Sheikh had attended a family function on the night of April 11. The next morning, on April 12, he set out on his scooter to return some vessels borrowed for the event. However, he never came back, prompting his family to conduct an extensive search and eventually file a missing person complaint with the police.

During the subsequent investigation, police located Sheikh’s scooter abandoned in the Kharivali forest area, but there was no trace of him at the time.

CCTV footage reviewed from the route Sheikh believed to have taken revealed the presence of an unidentified pillion rider traveling with him for a certain distance, said the police.

Inspector Patil said the identity of the mysterious pillion rider remains unknown so far.

The police said Sheikh’s SIM card had been removed from his mobile phone and was being misused by unidentified individuals.

A probe team is working with multiple leads and has not yet established a motive for the killing, they said.

Investigators have visited one of Sheikh’s real estate development sites in Vangani, on Mumbai’s outskirts, as part of their probe and are exploring whether professional rivalries or financial disputes could be connected to the crime, they said.

Bhiwandi is known for its powerloom fabric manufacturing activities. PTI COR RSY