The Wadala police on Thursday arrested a 44-year-old woman for allegedly murdering her mother-in-law and then trying to pass it off as an accidental death. While the police had earlier registered an accidental death report, post-mortem report provided the first clue in nailing the accused’s lies and led to her arrest, officers said.
According to the police, the victim, Sakhrabai Gire (65), was found lying lifeless in her residence in the Korba Mithagar area in Wadala by her son Vitthal on June 16, when he came home from work. He rushed her to Sion Hospital, where she was declared dead before admission. “The first red flag in the case was thrown up by the hospital after they conducted the post-mortem on Sakhrabai, which indicated that her death had been caused due to blunt force trauma to the head. As Mr. Vitthal was at work at the time, the only other person with her was his wife Surekha (44),” an officer with the Wadala police station said.
The officer added that Ms. Surekha was subsequently picked up for questioning and while she first claimed that she had stepped out for some work when Sakhrabai was found dead, the police found her claims to be suspicious as there were a lot of discrepancies in her story. Inquiries with the neighbours also established that Surekha and Sakhrabai would fight frequently, which further deepened suspicions against her.
“We questioned her at length for two days till she finally broke down and confessed to having killed Sakhrabai during a fight,” police sub inspector Datta Konkane, of Wadala police station said.
Ms. Surekha, in her confession, has allegedly told the police that she was furious at Sakhrabai for bequeathing her property to her younger son – Mr. Vitthal’s younger brother – which led to strained relations between the two women. On June 16, when Mr. Vitthal was at work, the two women had a fight during which Ms. Surekha allegedly kicked Sakhrabai in the back, causing her to fall on the ground and hit her head.
“The accused was arrested at 10 a.m. on Thursday and is currently in police custody. Further inquiries into the case are underway,” senior police inspector Gangadhar Sonavane, Wadala police station said.
The police have booked Ms .Surekha for murder and destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code and are interrogating her further, officers said.