The gruesome murder of the victim, Vijay Chouhan (34), a resident of Gangnipada in Nallasopara, a distant suburb of Mumbai, came to light on Monday when his highly decomposed body, believed to be buried under the tiles at his home about two weeks back, was exhumed.
Arrest Made in Murder Case
After registering an FIR against two persons under sections 103 (murder), 238 (destruction of evidence), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police launched a search and traced Chouhan’s wife Chaman Devi (28) and her paramour Monu Sharma (20), both accused in the case, to Hadapsar in Pune city, around 270km from Palghar, they said.
An official from the Pelhar police station, under whose jurisdiction the crime took place, said the duo was nabbed in the evening and being brought to Palghar. ACP Bajrang Desai of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police confirmed the arrest of Chaman Devi and Sharma for the murder.
Details of the Investigation
However, how and why Chouhan was killed by the duo was still not known, according to police.
Talking to reporters on Monday, Pelhar police station’s senior inspector Jitendra Vankoti said two brothers of Chouhan wanted to meet him on July 10 as they needed money to purchase a new house.
“They called him (Chouhan), but his phone was coming switched off. Hence, they came down to his house and enquired with his wife, who told them her husband had gone out for some work. They called her on July 19 to find out if Chouhan has returned home, but her phone was coming switched off,” he said. The brothers of Chouhan came to check again and found he was not at home, and his wife was also missing, said the inspector.
“When they inspected the house, they found new tiles on the floor. Suspecting something fishy, they removed the tiles only to find a foul smell emanating from the floor,” he said.
On being alerted, a police team arrived at the house and exhumed the body in the presence of doctors, forensic experts, and the local tehsildar, according to Vankoti.
Meanwhile, neighbors informed Chouhan’s brothers that he had not been seen since July 10 and his wife was also missing since July 19, said police.
Suspects in the Case
The police suspected Chouhan’s wife killed him with the help of her paramour and fled.
