Bhiwandi murder: Lover held for killing woman, trying to burn body after she ignored him

Police said the victim had recently stopped answering the accused’s phone calls and had allegedly started avoiding him

THANE: A 42-year-old man has been arrested by the Thane Crime Branch Unit-2 for allegedly killing a 33-year-old woman whose and attempting to burn her body in Bhiwandi after she allegedly started avoiding him, police said. The victim’s half-burnt body was found near Durgaprasad Hotel on Tuesday.

Bhiwandi murder: Lover held for killing woman, trying to burn body after she ignored him

The accused has been identified as Sanjay Mukadam alias Dwarkaprasad Verma, a native of Jharkhand. The deceased woman was identified as Saritadevi Vikas Mahto.

According to police, the accused and the victim’s husband had been working at a nearby powerloom unit for the last 12 to 15 years. During this time, Mukadam frequently visited the victim’s house and allegedly developed an intimate relationship with her.

Police said the victim had recently stopped answering the accused’s phone calls and had allegedly started avoiding him. On Monday, around 3pm, the accused allegedly called the woman to his house and demanded to check her mobile phone. After she refused, an argument broke out between them.

During the altercation, the accused allegedly killed the woman, while police are still investigating the exact method of murder. He then allegedly waited until around 2:30 am on Tuesday, wrapped the body in a plastic sheet and took it to a ground near Durgaprasad Hotel, where he attempted to burn it using raw thread material used in powerloom units.

Local residents spotted the body around 8am and alerted the police. Upon reaching the spot, police found that the body had been severely burnt below the waist. The remains were sent to Indira Gandhi Memorial (IGM) Hospital in Bhiwandi for post-mortem examination and forensic analysis.

During the investigation, police spoke with local powerloom workers and scanned CCTV footage from nearby areas which led them to find out the identity of the victim and trace the accused.

Shital Raut, Senior Police Inspector of Crime Branch Unit-2, told HT, “We are further investigating the case, including the exact modus operandi used in the murder.”