Published 8th May, 2022

By Mariam Hamzat

Six Nigerians have been arrested in India for allegedly killing Michael Kitchezeba, a fellow Nigerian, over a cash related dispute on May 3.

According to Midday, an online newspaper in Mumbai, India, Kitchezeba’s body was found inside a flat two days after he was abducted by the arrested suspects.

During a police manhunt, the six Nigerians were arrested in an Indian border town while trying to escape to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Preliminary investigation carried out by the police in India also revealed that a heavy monetary transaction existed between the deceased and his alleged killers.

“There is an election called Community Task Force of Nigeria [sic]. We have been told by the killers that the deceased had taken some heavy amount of Rs 50 lakh (about N5 million) from them. The killers got fumed as the deceased was not returning it. We are yet to get a clear picture once when they are brought to us [sic],” Kailash Barve, an Indian police chief, said.

According to Barve, the six suspects kidnapped Kitchezeba from his place in Naigoan, Mumbai, and went away with him on May 3, when he stopped responding to their calls.

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His disappearance and failure to return home forced his friends to report the incident to the police on the same day, revealing the identity of the six men.

Barve explained that post-mortem report after Kitchezeba’s body was found revealed that he was badly assaulted by his abductors. He also stated that the deceased was hit repeatedly with some blunt objects suspected to be iron rods, causing his lungs to get damaged.

“The accused who have been identified in the CCTV footage include Urges Abu, Kelvin alias Naso, Johnson alias Mofe, Papa, Sexy and one unknown man,” said Barve.

The suspects were arrested in Shillong, an Indian border town very close to Bangladesh.

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