Construction worker arrested for killing contractor for ₹2K deficit in pay

Mumbai: A 25-year-old construction worker was arrested for killing the younger brother of a building contractor in Vasai on Saturday night for getting ₹2,000 less in his monthly wage.

According to the Manikpur police, the accused is identified as Arbaz Shaikh, 25, and the victim as Mohammed Moin Faruki, 38, who used to work and live together on the construction site.

The two men had been working at the site of Casa Teresa building in Dewaan Maan area in Vasai West. “Arbaz and Faruki shared a tent and also cooked together,” said Sampat Patil, senior police inspector of Manikpur police station. The contractor of the site is Faruki’s elder brother who was overseeing a site in Borivali. He left Faruki in Vasai to oversee the site in his absence.

On Saturday evening at 8pm, as instructed by his elder brother, Faruki handed ₹8,000 to Arbaz as his monthly wage. When Arbaz counted the cash, he realised that he was promised ₹10,000 but received only ₹8,000. “For getting ₹2,000 less, Arbaz began abusing Faruki, who retaliated, resulting in a verbal altercation,” said Patil.

The fight escalated and Arbaz picked up an iron rod from the site and hit Faruki on his head. When Faruki fell down bleeding, Arbaz panicked and fled the spot.

After a few minutes, passersby saw Faruki bleeding and called the police on the emergency contact number. “We reached the spot late on Saturday night and rushed Faruki to the hospital where he was declared dead,” said Patil.

The Manikpur police traced Arbaz’s mobile location and arrested him from Kurla Terminus, where he was planning to run away to his village.