Pune: Crime Branch Unit-3 has arrested the killer of former Army Captain Ravindra Bali, who was killed, as he refused to give the accused a match-box.

The accused has been identified as Robinson alias Robin Lazarus (20), a resident of Poona Club servant quarters. Lazarus was arrested by police from Taloja on Sunday night.

67-year-old Bali was bludgeoned to death by Lazarus with a cement block on the intervening night of February 1-2. After a week-long search, police identified Lazarus, who had taken refuge in Taloja town of Raigad district.

According to police, on the night of the murder, Lazarus and his friend Kunal More brought alcohol from a shop near Kedari petrol pump and then, along with Akshay Kamble, Tejas More and Raj Kamble, partied on a hill near Café Old 99 in Wanawadi. While returning home, the accused and More ran out of fuel at Mamadevi Chowk. While More was pushing the vehicle, Lazarus was following him.

While crossing Capt Bali’s tent on Dr Coyaji Road, the accused asked him for a matchbox to light a cigarette. Bali mistook him for a robber and refused to give him a matchbox, after which an argument broke out, which led to the attack on Bali.

After attacking Capt Bali, the accused escaped through East Street, MG Road, Moledina Road, Bund Garden Road and reached his house on Tarapore Road.

Police said that after killing Bali, the accused was in the city for next two days and left the city only after celebrating his birthday on February 4.
Later, an investigation team including Police Inspector Sitaram More, police constable Sandip Talekar, Atul Sathe and Raju Rasge conducted a massive search for the accused at various places and finally arrested him from Taloja.