MUMBAI: A thief — absconding after allegedly robbing and murdering a senior citizen in Virar in December 2019 — was arrested after he landed at his wife's Bhayander home in Mumbai to kill her.
He suspected her of being a police informer.
Vinod Padvi (32), a resident of Bhayander, was absconding after allegedly murdering Manisha Dhombal (63) at her Grisham Palace home in Virat Nagar, Virar (west) on December 27, 2019.
Manisha was found in a pool of blood with a knife lodged in her chest.
The murder came to light when her husband returned home from work in the evening.
The couple's niece was in college.
The cupboard was ransacked and jewellery worth Rs 7 lakhs was missing.
The Virar Police had zeroed in on Padvi.
Two suspects were picked up for questioning.
A search was launched for Pandvi but in vain.
On Tuesday, the police were tipped-off about Padvi coming to his Bhayander flat to kill his wife (they were married since 2006) whom he suspected was passing on information about his whereabouts to the cops.
A trap was laid and Padvi was arrested.
He has been booked under IPC sections 302 (murder), 397 (robbery), 459 (grievious hurt) and has been remanded to police custody.
Police seized 150 grams of the gold ornaments stolen from Manisha's home.
Pandvi had entered Manisha's ground floor flat by breaking the window grills.
He had stabbed her on the chest and left behind the knife in the chest.