64-year-old Mulund resident stabs wife multiple times, dies by suicide

A 64-year-old man suffering from bipolar disorder stabbed his wife repeatedly in their Mumbai residence before dying by suicide. The woman is recovering in hospital.

MUMBAI: A 64-year-old man stabbed his wife repeatedly in their residence in a 24-storey building in Mulund East and subsequently died by suicide on Thursday evening. The woman, who has sustained multiple injuries in the attack, is recuperating in hospital. The family lives on the 12th floor of the building in the suburb’s Gavhanpada neighbourhood.

On Thursday the couple’s daughter, who works as a clerk in a nationalised bank and is an LLB student, called her mother at 5 pm after taking an exam. When she did not respond to her calls, she called her father. When he remained unresponsive too, she rushed back home. Her knocks at the door went unheeded, whereupon she called her neighbours for help. Together they broke open the front door of the flat. (Image for representation)

Police said the deceased who retired from Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) in 2019, was suffering from bipolar disorder since 1995. Due to his fragile health condition, he is known to have displayed aggressive behaviour in the past and has assaulted his family members, including his 53-year-old wife.

On Thursday the couple’s daughter, who works as a clerk in a nationalised bank and is an LLB student, called her mother at 5 pm after taking an exam. When she did not respond to her calls, she called her father. When he remained unresponsive too, she rushed back home. Her knocks at the door went unheeded, whereupon she called her neighbours for help. Together they broke open the front door of the flat.

By now, neighbours and her uncle who lives in the same suburb in the West, had gathered in the flat and called the police. They broke open the bedroom door to find the 64-year-old had died by suicide. When police team from Navghar police station, Mulund East, reached the spot, they rushed him to Rajawadi Hospital, in Ghatkopar, where he was declared brought dead.

In her statement to the police, the deceased’s daughter revealed that five to six months ago, he had suffered a violent fit and on doctor’s advice was admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Taloja for around a month.

In her statement to the cops, she said, on returning from the centre, he looked perpetually scared and was anxious about being sent to the rehabilitation centre again. A cop from the police station said, before he was sent to rehab, he had once tied his wife’s hands and kept her in that state for around four hours.

He was being treated by a Mulund West-based psychiatrist. He had regular check-ups; the last one was on April 5, when he enquired if he

would be sent to the rehabilitation centre again, the police officer said.

“It appears he had stabbed his wife multiple times and later died by suicide in his flat,” said police inspector Jayendra Sakpal, of the Navghar police station. “Based on the statement given by the daughter of the deceased, we have registered an FIR against him.”