Mumbai killer cut power to gain entry

The 25-year-old lawyer, who was found dead in her flat in an upscale colony of central Mumbai on Thursday morning, was murdered by the security guard of the building in which she put up, police said on Friday.

The 25-year-old lawyer, who was found dead in her flat in an upscale colony of central Mumbai on Thursday morning, was murdered by the security guard of the building in which she put up, police said on Friday.

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When it became clear that the assailant had not forced into Pallavi Purkayastha’s flat in the Himalayan Heights building at Wadala, all suspicion fell on Sajjad Ahmad Moghul. Originally from Jammu and Kashmir, Moghul, 22, has been a security guard there for the last two years.

Purkayastha, who worked as a legal advisor with filmmaker Farhan Akhtar’s firm, returned home at 11pm and discovered there was no electricity.

She texted her live-in partner Avik Sengupta, who advised her to call an electrician.

The electricians, accompanied by Moghul, came, fixed the problem and left. Around 1am, the power tripped again, and once again she called them.

“Even this time, Moghul was present in the flat. He stole the keys to the flat,” police said.

Police suspect it was Moghul who tampered with the electric meter both times. “Moghul said he was aware that Purkayastha was alone and Sengupta was working till late,” police said. The intercom was not working and neither were the 4 CCTV cameras in the building.

At around 1.30 am, Moghul entered the flat using the stolen keys and tried to force himself on Purkayastha. When she put up a fight, he panicked, slit her throat and fled the scene.

The police apprehended him at the Mumbai Central railway station.

Investigations have revealed that none of the neighbours had heard Purkayastha’s screams. Police clarified that the bloodied marks on the neighbour's doorbell belonged to Sengupta, who sought help after he found Purkayastha dead.