Couple held months after killing relative, dumping body in drain

The victim, identified as Blance Sequeira from Sahar, had been reported missing in January. Her decomposed body was found the same month by civic workers during a drain cleaning operation

Mumbai: A couple have been arrested by the Andheri police on Saturday for allegedly killing their elderly relative and dumping her body in a drain in January following a family dispute.

Couple held months after killing relative, dumping body in drain

The victim, identified as Blance Sequeira from Sahar, had been reported missing in January. Her decomposed body was found the same month by civic workers during a drain cleaning operation, leading the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to inform the police.

Following which, the body was taken to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle for post-mortem.Police said they circulated the woman’s description across stations via internal WhatsApp groups to establish her identity. She was later identified as Sequeira, a resident of Sahar, whose family had filed a missing complaint in January.

A murder case was registered against unidentified persons after the post-mortem. During questioning, police grew suspicious of Sequeira’s brother, Joseph Thomas Coelho, and his wife, Maria Joseph Coelho, as allegedly their responses were not satisfactory.

On sustained interrogation, the couple allegedly confessed to assaulting Sequeira during a dispute and later disposing of her body in an open drain outside their house.

“We have arrested the couple and are investigating the exact cause of the fight,” a police officer said. The couple were presented before a court on Sunday and have been remanded to police custody for four days.