Husband held for murdering wife, dumping body in Virar quarry

To conceal the crime, Vijay tied Swati’s hands with a rope and threw her body into a nearby quarry along with a water pot to make it appear as if she had drowned while fetching water. He later returned home and falsely reported her as missing, the police said

MUMBAI: A 30-year-old man from Virar was arrested on Monday for allegedly strangling his wife to death following a dispute over his extramarital affair and dumping her body in a quarry to pass the crime off as an accident.

Arrested computer hacker and cyber criminal with handcuffs, close up of hands (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to the police, the accused Vijay Chavan and his wife, Swati Chavan, were married two years ago and had been living in Vadghar Complex in Mandvi, Virar. Vijay was involved in an extramarital relationship with a married woman from the same village, which led to frequent arguments with Swati. On Sunday, the couple went to work in a field in Vadghar village, where a heated argument took place between the two and in a fit of rage, he allegedly strangled her.

“To conceal the crime, Vijay tied Swati’s hands with a rope and threw her body into a nearby quarry along with a water pot to make it appear as if she had drowned while fetching water. He later returned home and falsely reported her as missing,” said a police officer.

Following this, the family members began searching for Swati. They found her slippers floating in the quarry, after which her body was recovered. The police then sent the body for post-mortem examination, the report of which confirmed her death by strangulation, exposing the accused’s attempt to mislead the police.

“To make the murder look like an accident, the accused first tied Swati’s hands with a rope and threw her into the quarry along with the water pot. He wanted to make it look like she had slipped while filling water and drowned,” the officer said.

Subsequently, the police arrested Vijay and registered a murder case against him under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.