Woman’s live-in partner arrested for murder

The Vanrai police arrested the live-in partner of a 29-year-old woman, whose decomposed body was found wrapped in a plastic sheet inside a room in Goregaon (East) on Tuesday morning

Mumbai: The Vanrai police arrested the live-in partner of a 29-year-old woman, whose decomposed body was found wrapped in a plastic sheet inside a room in Goregaon (East) on Tuesday morning.

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According to police reports, workers living at Ashok Nagar, Kama Estate, Goregaon (East), alerted authorities around 11am on Tuesday after detecting a strong odour emanating from the room. Initially dismissing it as a dead rat, they later contacted the police upon continued foul smell. Upon entering the room, officers found the body of a woman, seemingly strangled and concealed in plastic.

Upon searching the room, the police found the woman’s Aadhar card, identifying her as Divya Toppo. Further inquiries revealed that she lived in the room with her live-in partner, Jairam Lakda, both of whom worked as daily wage labourers. Having migrated from Uttar Pradesh, they had signed a rental agreement as husband and wife. Lakda’s mobile number, found on the agreement, facilitated police tracing.

With Lakda missing, he emerged as the primary suspect. Vanrai police registered a murder case against him under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and launched a manhunt. “Upon tracking Lakda, we found that he had fled to Haryana after the crime. Our team collaborated with Haryana police, resulting in his arrest on Friday,” said a police officer from Vanrai police station. Lakda is scheduled to appear before the court on Saturday for legal proceedings.