75-year-old woman murdered in her apartment in Mumbai

The police suspect that someone known to her may have slit her throat and made it look like a robbery

A 75-year-old woman was found dead with her throat slit in the bathroom of her apartment in Goregaon on Wednesday.

A 75-year-old woman was found dead with her throat slit in the bathroom of her apartment in Goregaon on Wednesday. (HT File(Representational Image))

The police suspect that someone known to her may have killed her and made it look like a robbery. The victim, Niruben Patel, lived with her son Balraj on the first floor of their apartment in Gaondevi Housing Society on New Link Road.

Balraj, who works in a library in Churchgate, returned home around 6.30pm. When he entered the room, he found belongings strewn across the room. In the bathroom, he found Patel with her throat slit and the tap flowing. The neighbours were alerted by Balraj’s cries and subsequently, the police were informed.

“Her gold chain was missing from her neck but her gold bangles and earrings were intact. It is possible that she was in the bathroom when the killer attacked her. There are no signs of forced entry,” said an officer from the Goregaon police station.

Patel’s daughter-in-law and two grandchildren no longer live with her and her daughter lives in the building beside hers. Patel was a widow and stayed alone throughout the day, said neighbours. The police have registered a case based on the complaint of Patel’s son-in-law, Ashok Singh. They are also checking if Balraj or his mother had any disputes with someone who could have harmed her.

“The building has no CCTV cameras. The housing society does not have a watchman,” the officer said. As per Patel’s autopsy reports, she may have been killed in the afternoon.

A team from the Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratories has collected samples from the crime scene. The police have not found a weapon and no arrests have been made so far.