Mumbai Police have arrested three people, including the younger son of the victim and his business partner, in connection with the brutal murder of a 65-year-old Kandivali-based foundry businessman.

The third person arrested for the murder of Mohd Ayub Sayyed is an alleged contract killer, officers said.

Sayyed was stabbed to death inside his office at the Government Industrial Estate in Charkop, where he carried out small-scale foundry work, on Sunday morning.

According to officers, two men had entered his premises, stayed for nearly an hour in conversation with him, and then repeatedly attacked him with sharp weapons before fleeing the spot.

The second assailant is yet to be arrested. The movements of the attackers before and after the crime were captured on CCTV cameras installed in the area. Police later recovered a bag and the murder weapons dumped in a water tank on the premises.

The probe initially suggested that the attackers were known to the victim, given the time they spent with him before the assault. Senior officers, including Zone XI Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sandeep Jadhav, Malwani Division Assistant Commissioner Nita Padvi, and Charkop Police’s Senior Inspector Vinayak Chauhan, had visited the crime scene, after which multiple teams were formed to track down the accused.

Sayyed, originally from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, lived with his family in the Malad Link Road area. He also owned a company in Vasai, which he ran along with his two sons.

Police said investigations are underway to establish the exact motive behind the killing.

Source