27-year-old assists senior, then murders and robs her in Bandra

A 27-year-old man, Sharif Ali Shaikh, was arrested for murdering 64-year-old Rekha Khonde in Bandra, with robbery suspected as the motive.

MUMBAI: A 27-year-old man who had been helping a senior citizen with her daily chores has been arrested for murdering her in an apartment at Bandra Reclamation. Bandra police on Tuesday arrested the accused, identified as Sharif Ali Shamsher Ali Shaikh, for the murder of 64-year-old Rekha Ashok Khonde, who lived alone. They suspect the motive was robbery as gold jewellery worth ₹15 lakh was found missing from Khonde’s flat.

Mumbai, India. Feb 11, 2025: A 64-year-old woman named Rekha Khonde was found murdered in a flat located in the Kanchan building in Bandra. Mumbai, India. Fbe 11, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

Shaikh was arrested hours after Khonde’s body was discovered in a decomposed state late on Monday night. Found with her hands tied to a chair with a dupatta, Khonde is believed to have been killed around four days earlier. She bore wounds consistent with a sharp object.

According to Sanjay Marathe, senior police inspector with the Bandra police, Khonde’s daughter Drushti, 27, had relocated to Malad three months ago as she worked there and had been visiting her mother on weekends at her apartment in Kanchan Cooperative Housing Society. Khonde did not have any other close relatives in Mumbai and had been living with her daughter after her husband, a MSEB employee, died in 2017, Marathe added.

Shaikh lived nearby and used to assist Khonde in her daily chores and also accompanied her to the bank and when she needed to visit the doctor. Police officials said he would also accompany her to the market, helping her buy groceries.

Residents alerted the police after they detected a foul smell in the building. “We assumed the odour was from a dead animal, like a rat, and therefore searched closed portions of the building like the drains. However, on Monday, we realised it was emanating from the second floor, where the elderly woman lived,” said a resident.

Marathe said Khonde’s body has been sent for a post-mortem to Bhabha Hospital to ascertain the nature of her injuries and cause of death. “We have not yet found the murder weapon,” he said.

Police said that after registering a murder case, they began scanning CCTV footage of the building and surrounding areas. The CCTV footage revealed that four days earlier, Shaikh had entered the building and left after some time, along with a bag.

They picked up Shaikh, who lived in the neighbourhood. During interrogation, he confessed to killing Khonde and robbing her gold ornaments worth around ₹15 lakh. Police suspect that he may have also taken some cash and are investigating that detail.

“We will record the statement of the woman’s daughter shortly as she is in shock, to find out whether the jewellery was in a bank locker or at home, and how much money was stolen. We have recovered some stolen jewellery from Shaikh and need to verify how much it was worth,” said a police officer.