Mumbai man sentenced to life imprisonment for killing wife

A 36-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment by a city civil and sessions court on Friday, for murdering his wife in January 2017. The convict Jayesh Mhadlekar,

A 36-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment by a city civil and sessions court on Friday, for murdering his wife in January 2017. The convict Jayesh Mhadlekar, a resident of Mulund, was booked after his wife Shreya was found fatally injured inside their house.

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According to Mulund police, Mhadlekar had married Shreya in 2003, but because of his alcohol addiction, she chose to stay with her parents from 2015.

On January 26, 2017, Mhadlekar went to Shreya’s house to bring her back but her family asked him to leave. He waited outside their building and when Shreya stepped out to go to work, Mhadlekar forcibly took her home.

Shreya’s family was unable to contact her and when they called her office they were informed that she had not reported to work. Her mother then went to Mhadlekar’s house and found Shreya lying on the floor with head injuries. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.

A first information report (FIR) was registered at Mulund police station, and two days later, Mhadlekar was arrested. While contending the case, prosecutor Shulabha Joshi said that Mhadlekar used to beat his wife often. They pointed out that there were several criminal cases registered against him.

Mhadlekar, in his defence, claimed that he was not in the city, but had left for Hyderabad at the time of the murder. The court, however, rejected his defense as he failed to produce a ticket or proof of travel. Further, he was spotted outside Shreya’s house and another witness had also seen him with Shreya on his bike on the day of the murder.

The court held Mhadlekar guilty for his wife’s murder based on circumstantial evidence.