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Affair, murder and body parts dumped in forest: How Navi Mumbai man was killed by wife, her lover
The body parts were allegedly dumped at different spots in the dense Gawli Dev hill forest area in Navi Mumbai.
A gruesome murder of a 50-year-old Navi Mumbai man that had reportedly remained hidden for nearly a year has now come to light, with police arresting a woman and her alleged lover for killing her husband, chopping his body into pieces and dumping the remains in a forest.
The accused, identified as Sunita Kushwaha (40) and Rahul Dashrath Prajapati (30), were reportedly arrested on Sunday after investigators reopened the case following suspicions raised by the victim's brother.
According to news agency PTI, police said the murder took place in August 2025, but remained undetected for almost 11 months.
Missing person's complaint led to breakthrough
The victim, Baliram Suryanath Kushwaha, lived with his wife and two children in Airoli, Navi Mumbai.
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According to police, the case resurfaced in April this year when Baliram's brother visited Sunita and became suspicious of her explanations regarding his brother's disappearance, PTI report added. He subsequently lodged a missing person's complaint.
The complaint prompted investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding Baliram's disappearance and question those close to him.
Affair allegedly sparked murder plot
During the investigation, police found that Sunita was allegedly involved in an extra-marital relationship with Prajapati, an autorickshaw driver.
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Investigators said Baliram had come to know about the relationship and opposed it. This allegedly led the duo to conspire to kill him.
According to police, the accused waited for an opportunity and allegedly carried out the plan after sending the couple's children to stay with a relative.
Killed in sleep
Police said that on the night of August 9, 2025, Baliram was allegedly strangled while he was asleep. His throat was then slit, investigators said.
In an attempt to destroy evidence, the accused allegedly dismembered the body into three parts, packed the remains in sacks and transported them in Prajapati's autorickshaw.
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The body parts were allegedly dumped at different spots in the dense Gawli Dev hill forest area in Navi Mumbai.
After the murder, Sunita reportedly rented out the family's Airoli residence and shifted to Ghansoli with her children.
Phone records exposed crime
Police said the accused frequently changed their mobile phones and SIM cards to avoid detection.
However, investigators analysed Call Detail Records (CDR) and found that the two remained in regular contact over the months, strengthening suspicions about their involvement.
During sustained interrogation, both allegedly confessed to the crime and disclosed details about the disposal of the body, police said.
Following the confession, police recovered some remains believed to be those of the deceased from the Gawli Dev forest.
Search operations are continuing to locate the remaining body parts, officials said.
The accused have been booked under Sections 103 (murder), 238 (destruction of evidence) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
They were produced before a local court, which remanded them to seven days of police custody for further investigation.
(With PTI inputs)
