Palghar, Sep 13: In a sensational crime, the Naigaon Police in Palghar arrested a couple for allegedly killing a Nepali woman, stuffing her body in a suitcase and then dumping it in a creek near Valsad town of south Gujarat, police said.
The victim, identified as Naina R. Mahat, 28, who had come from Nepal over eight years ago, worked as a make-up and hairstylist in the entertainment industry.
The prime accused is Manohar Shukla, 34, a designer — who was in a live-in relationship with Naina — and his wife, Poornima Shukla, has been charged with helping him in the crime, Investigating Officer Mangesh Andhare said.
The Shukla couple has been booked for murder, conspiracy, destruction of evidence, etc., based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s sister, Jaja Mahat.
They were produced before a Palghar court which remanded them to police custody till September 16, added Andhare, while the Palghar Police were in touch with the Pardi Police for more details on Naina’s body which they had disposed off.
According to the investigations, the incident occurred on August 9 when Manohar Shukla and Naina had a major brawl at her home in Suntech complex in Naigaon.
Naina accused him of marrying Poornima despite being in a relationship with her and demand that he should now marry her or she would commit suicide.
An irate Shukla dragged her to the bathroom, dunked her head in a bucket of water till she stopped breathing, and then left the flat.
In 2019, Naina had lodged a rape-cum-assault complaints against Shukla with Virar and Valiv Police stations, and he was forcing her to withdraw them, but she refused.
Late that evening, he returned to the flat along with his wife Poornima and their two-year old daughter on their scooter.
The couple stuffed Naina’s body into a trolley bag and then drove off towards Valsad, around 125 kms away, where they threw it into a creek and returned home early the next morning.
Meanwhile, Jaya was trying to frantically get in touch with her sister Naina but her phone was switched off and she had disappeared from social media, after which she lodged a complaint with the Naigaon Police on August 14.
Police said that the arrested couple has confessed to the murder and the investigators have also collected other evidence like CCTV footage, statements of friends, associates and relatives.
Meanwhile, Naina’s body was found in a highly decomposed state in Valsad and since it was not identifiable they had disposed of it with due protocols, while retaining a sample for a DNA analysis.
The two sisters, Naina and Jaya, along with their brother, had rented a flat in Naigaon a few years ago, but a few months ago, Jaya had left that home and shifted to Nalasopara as Shukla created a rift among the siblings.
