Kandivli double murders: Accused tells court he confessed under pressure

Pradeep Rajbhad had said he committed the crime on the directions of Hema’s estranged husband Chintan Upadhyay

Mumbai

Artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Haresh Bhambani were found murdered at a Charkop warehouse on December 11 last year.(HT File Photo)

In a fresh twist in the Hema Upadhyay-Haresh Bhambani double murder case, one of the accused Pradeep Rajbhar told the sessions court he confessed under duress.

Pradeep had recorded his confession before a magistrate under provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The Kandivli police, while filing the charge sheet in May, had attached Pradeep’s confession, in which he stated he committed the crime on the directions of Hema’s estranged husband Chintan Upadhyay.

Pradeep’s advocate Anil Jadhav submitted his application before the Dindoshi sessions court on Monday.

“The police machinery pressurised him and threatened his family to get the confession. He is not willing to give any such confession,” said Jadhav.

While hearing the matter, additional sessions judge Farooq Khwaja directed the investigating officer of crime branch, unit 7, to file a reply. The case was transferred to the Mumbai crime branch after an order by police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar.

Pradeep’s father is a constable in the police force in Uttar Pradesh. After dropping out of school after Class 8, Pradeep moved to the city and began working at wanted accused Vidhyadhar’s warehouse where he made sculptures.

So far, the police have arrested five people, including Chintan and four Rajbhars - Pradeep, Vijay, Shivkumar and a minor accused.

In the charge sheet, the Kandivli police submitted Vidhyadhar along with Pradeep, Shivkumar and the minor accused killed Hema and Bhambani at the Charkop warehouse on December 11 last year.

Their bodies were dumped in a nearby drain and recovered a day later.

Meanwhile, Chintan Upadhyay’s advocate filed another application for home-cooked food while the court is still hearing on their previous application of use of handcuffs by the jail authorities

The court directed the jail authorities to file a reply to the application. Both the matters will be heard on July 14.