Woman’s suspicious death turns out to be a murder, husband held

A red flag was the position of the body; she was found lying on her face. However, there was also an injury on the back of her head

MUMBAI: The police on Tuesday registered a murder case in the suspicious death of a 53-year-old woman in Mazgaon who was earlier declared dead by suicide. The police said evidence and preliminary reports from doctors pointed to a murder, and they are carrying out a further probe.

Representative pic of handcuffs (Shutterstock)

The woman died on April 6, and her husband claimed she took her own life. According to the police, she had parted ways with her first husband, a 63-year-old man, and married her 27-year-old nephew. She then moved in with the latter in Mazgaon in 2022 with her 17-year-old daughter. Around 5am on April 6, the woman’s body fell from the 13th floor of their building. The police found her in a duct area on the 9th floor. Her husband claimed that she had jumped or fallen from the bathroom and died. However, during an investigation, the police found blood stains on the bathroom door as well as on the victim’s slippers, which were sent for forensic analysis.

Another red flag was the position of the body, said a police officer. The woman was found lying on her face. However, there was also an injury on the back of her head. It appeared like she had been hit with a heavy object and then pushed off, said a police officer. Police said the accused forced the daughter to tell the police that she woke up to a loud thud of her mother falling. “We have added section 101 (murder) of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, to the case,” said the police officer. “The accused was already arrested for abetment of suicide and is in jail.”

Investigations also showed the woman had stolen 650 grams of gold when she married her nephew. Her neighbours and others in the area informed the police that she often complained about her husband harassing her for money. The police found that her husband had defrauded multiple people by promising them quick loans. The accused’s driver was arrested for hiding various documents related to the deceased woman inside the car. “We are trying to see if his brother and mother were also involved in the case,” said the police officer.