Thane, Apr 16 (PTI) Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district have exhumed body parts of a 17-year-old boy who was murdered nearly five years ago after the alleged killer was arrested recently, an official said on Wednesday.

Soheb Shaikh, a resident of Bhiwandi, went missing on November 20, 2020. The local police launched a probe but could not make any headway for a long time.

In 2023, they detained a suspect, identified as Gulam Rabbani, who was associated with a madrasa, but he gave them the slip.

Acting on a tip, police recently arrested Rabbani, who shared the details of the crime. Rabbani told the police that he killed Shaikh inside a shop, chopped the body and buried some parts there.

It was immediately not clear if the shop was shut or who it belonged to.

The accused said he dumped the other body parts in a drain, the official said.

Based on his confession, the body parts were exhumed from the shop on Wednesday, the official said, adding that they are yet to ascertain the motive behind the murder.

Meanwhile, the mother of the victim said they were kept in the dark with the promise that Shaih would return. PTI COR NR