Woman strangles husband to death, dumps body off Ulwe bridge

Ulwe police investigate a murder conspiracy involving Reshma More, her son, and two accomplices. Reshma allegedly killed her husband with their help.

NAVI MUMBAI: The Ulwe police are investigating an alleged murder conspiracy involving a 35-year-old woman, her underage son and two accomplices. The accused woman, Reshma Sachin More, allegedly executed the killing of her husband, Sachin Devji More (40), with the aid of an auto driver Rohit Temkar (35) and another accused, Prathamesh Mhatre (36). The underage son was reportedly present during the crime.

Woman strangles husband to death, dumps body off Ulwe bridge

While Reshma and Temkar have been arrested, the son has been sent to a juvenile shelter home. The police are actively searching for Mhatre after registering a case under Sections 103(1), 61(2), and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The murder, which reportedly took place between February 22 and 23, came to light when an unidentified male body was discovered on the Vahal Creek bridge along the Airport Service Road. The Ulwe police initially registered an Accidental Death Report on February 23 but intensified their investigation when the body was later claimed by the victim’s wife.

“Since there was no way to identify the body initially, the details and photos of the deceased were shared across police stations,” said an officer. Days later, a missing person complaint was filed at NRI Sagari Police Station, leading to the identification of the victim.

The discrepancies in Reshma’s statements aroused the suspicion of the police. Under intense interrogation, she eventually confessed to plotting and executing the murder to escape what she described as an abusive relationship.

The plot for the murder was set in motion with intoxicating pills allegedly supplied by Temkar, whom Reshma had befriended while working at a food delivery agency. According to the police, Reshma mixed the sedatives into bitter gourd juice which she served to her husband.

As per the report filed by the police, the drugged victim was taken into Prathamesh Mhatre’s auto rickshaw. The vehicle travelled for nearly three hours across Navi Mumbai, passing through Shagun Chowk, Ulwe, Belapur, Nerul, Kalamboli and Karanjade, and finally stopped at the JNPT Road bridge under the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

At the service road, Reshma reportedly strangled her husband with her dupatta with the intention of throwing him before a vehicle to show his death as an accidental one. However, when she realised that he was still breathing, she suffocated him by covering his nose and mouth with her hands until he died. The body was then thrown off the bridge onto the Airport Service Road.

“We are still on the lookout for the third accused, and only then will the case become clear,” said Arjun Rajane, senior PI at Ulwe police station. “For the others, we have been granted police custody until March 5.”