MUMBAI: Seven years after a 35-year-old widowed mother's body parts were found dumped across the city, a sessions court on Tuesday convicted and sentenced her estranged partner to life imprisonment. Prabhakar Shetty (35), then a manager of a restaurant at Chembur Gymkhana, had murdered Kanta Shetty as she insisted on marriage while he was looking for other alliances.
Principal judge S B Agrawal also fined Prabhakar more than Rs 1.10 lakh. Out of the amount, Rs 1 lakh is to be paid to the victim's son, who was nine at the time of her murder.
Chief public prosecutor J V Desai said that the child was one of 25 prosecution witnesses. The child had told court that his mother, on the night of October 29, 2013, told him she was to meet the accused. The victim traveled from her Saki Naka residence to Prabhakar's staff quarters in Chembur.
On November 5, 2013, Prabhakar was arrested by Chembur police for murder and destruction of evidence. He was arrested on the basis of a description by those who saw him dumping what was later found to be the victim's torso, and statements of her family.
Police accused Prabhakar of strangling Kanta at his quarters on the night of October 29, 2013. He allegedly chopped her body with a knife in the bathroom, stuffed the head in a plastic bag, the torso in another and limbs in a third. Each bag was dumped at different spots that night.
As she did not return home for few days, Kanta's sister lodged a missing complaint. Kanta and Prabhakar were in a relationship for few years after her husband had died by suicide.
The prosecution said among the witnesses were two teenagers who met Prabhakar when he went to Cherai Lake at Chembur to dump the torso. They told the court that after Prabhakar left, finding the bag to be suspicious, they fished it. When they tried to open it, patrolling cops arrived and found the torso.
The prosecution said other parts were found subsequently. With the help of DNA evidence, Kanta was identified. Based on Prabhakar's description given by the witnesses and Kanta's family statement, he was booked. An autorickshaw driver who had ferried Prabhakar to the spot also deposed during the trial. All the witnesses had also identified him in court.
Desai said the prosecution's case was based on circumstantial evidence. A person who saw Kanta going to Prabhakar's room also deposed. The prosecution said the knife was recovered and blood stains were on articles in Prabhakar's room.