Thane woman strangled over Rs 2.5 lakh, body burnt; lover held

KALYAN: The Thane crime branch arrested a chicken seller for allegedly murdering a 30-year-old woman whose half-burnt body was found at Raya village near Titwala last month.
The police tracked down Aalam Shaikh (33), a Titwala resident, with the help of a chicken wing and an amulet with Bengali inscriptions found near the body. Police personnel combed the Bengali community residing there and learnt that Aalam had been missing from his home since some days.
Aalam and the woman, who was one of his customers, were in love, said the police. The woman had borrowed Rs 2.5 lakh from him, but refused to return it, which led to an argument and Aalam strangled her. With the help of his friend Manoruddin Shaikh (30), who too is absconding, he stuffed her body in a gunny bag, and burnt it under a bridge near Titwala so she could not be identified . Aalam has confessed to crime, said the police. - Pradeep Gupta