Lalbaug murder: Court extends Rimple Jain’s police custody

The accused, however, claimed before the court that she had not committed any murder and only due to fear of her uncle and losing the house and money, she chopped the body and hid the body parts, as she feared that she would be blamed for her mother’s death

MUMBAI: A metropolitan magistrate court in Sewri on Monday extended police custody of 23-year-old Rimple Jain till March 24. Jain was arrested for allegedly murdering her 55-year-old mother, amputating her limbs and hiding the body parts for months in the house.

Responding to the claim, Rimple told the court that she had not committed the murder of her mother and claimed that her mother died after a fall from the first floor on December 26. She said she only chopped her limbs and hid the body, because of the fear of losing the house and money that she gets from her maternal uncle (HT Photo)

The police said apart from watching crime patrol, Rimple searched on YouTube how to decompose a body. They are getting details of her web browsing history.

The accused, however, claimed before the court that she had not committed any murder and only due to fear of her uncle and losing the house and money, she chopped the body and hid the body parts, as she feared that she would be blamed for her mother’s death.

The resident of the Ibrahim Kasam building in Lalbaug, Rimple was arrested on March 15. She was produced before the SS Ghare of Sewri Metropolitan Magistrate Court after her earlier police custody remand came to end.

Public prosecutor Vaishali Agavane sought an extension in her custody by submitting that the police are still finding if anyone else was involved in the suspected murder. The prosecutor claimed that the woman had accepted having committed the crime.

Responding to the claim, Rimple told the court that she had not committed the murder of her mother and claimed that her mother died after a fall from the first floor on December 26. She said she only chopped her limbs and hid the body, because of the fear of losing the house and money that she gets from her maternal uncle, and also apprehended that she will be blamed for her mother’s death.

After hearing both sides, the court extended her police custody till March 24.

The police said in further investigations they have found that Rimple amputated the body in parts. On December 27 itself - the day her mother died, she brought a marble cutter by paying ₹1,400 from a hardware store in Lalbaug and dismembered the body on December 31 last year, and on January 2 and January 4 this year. She had brought a second marble cutter after the first one stopped working. She paid ₹2,000 for the second marble cutter.

The police said she even lied to her boyfriend who worked as a manager at a Chinese restaurant in her building. “She told him that her house was emitting a foul smell due to her bathroom being choked up. She didn’t allow anyone in the house, especially after the chopping of the body,” said a police officer.

Rimple tried to dissolve the body parts using phenyl and acid but when it didn’t work as fast as she expected it to, she stopped trying it and kept other body parts in the cupboard packing them in a polythene bag, the officer added.

The police said they have questioned a sandwich stall owner and her boyfriend but had not found any role played by them.

“She told her boyfriend that her mother had gone to Rajasthan with her brother. She, however, told the sandwich stall owner that her mother died and the body had been taken away for last rites,” said the police officer.