Two youths arrested for killing NRI woman

Bhavik Jashubhai Patel (30) and Sachin Navnit Nie (21) have been charged with murdering Surekha Rajeshbhai Shah in her bungalow in Akota area on November 16, said police officer D J Patel. Police are looking out for another person involved in the crime, he told reporters here.

Bhavik works as a technician in a private firm, while Nie is a cable repairer. Their mobile phone records helped in tracing them as they had fled from the city and visited places like Diu, Anand, Mumbai, Bhavnagar and Ambaji town before returning to Vadodara where they were nabbed, he said.

Both were familiar with the deceased, who had returned to the city from US about two months ago, as they often used to visit her house under one pretext or other, Patel said.

On the fateful day, Bhavik entered Shah`s house under the pretext of repairing her TV dish antenna. Nie later joined him. Both of them smothered her to death and fled with Rs 6,000 in cash, ornaments, mobile, laptop and other articles, the police officer said.