2 sex workers, boyfriend arrested for murder of interior decorator

Two sex workers and their boyfriends were arrested in Thane in connection with the murder of an interior decorator. The women planned to rob the victim.

Thane: Two sex workers and boyfriend to one of them were arrested in connection with the murder case of an interior decorator in Bhiwandi last week.

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According to the Padgha police, the deceased was identified as Deepak Kurhade, 42, a resident of Bapgaon in Bhiwandi. He had left his wife a few years ago and was living alone.

On July 2, his 16-year-old daughter reached his house to check on her father as he was not answering her calls. The girl found Kurhade in a pool of blood on opening the door of the house.

A police team reached the spot and a preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased’s throat was slit and he was hit on his head with a beer bottle. The officials then started checking the last calls on his mobile phone. They found that Kurhade was in touch with the two sex workers—Shivani Jagtap, 24 and Bharti Komare, 30.

“These women were in contact with the deceased for a long time. He used to call them at home very often. The women noticed that the accused would spend a lot of money and sometimes he would get cash for his business and showed them the bundles. The duo then thought of robbing him so that they would get settled with their boyfriends in future. The women then hatched the murder plan with their boyfriends,” a police official said.

On June 30, Jagtap and Komare went to the Kurhade’s house after receiving his call. While consuming alcohol, the women made him drink a lot of beer and he became sleepy. Their boyfriends then arrived on a motorbike, entered the house and searched all over the place for cash and valuables. However, they could only find ₹30,000. Meanwhile, Kurhade woke up and got alert. But before he could shout for help, one of the accused broke a beer bottle on his head and another slit his throat.

Sanjay Sable, senior police inspector, said, “We have arrested three accused in the matter so far and one more accused is on the run. Jagtap, her boyfriend Sandip Patil, 30, and Komare have confessed to the crime.” They have been charged under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.