The inquiry reported is expected within a day or two, officials said.A 19-year-old woman who was beaten allegedly by her 22-year-old live-in partner late Sunday night in Andheri (east) died in the early hours of Monday. The woman’s partner rushed her to a government hospital Monday afternoon and tried to blame her ex-boyfriend. But based on eyewitness accounts, the police booked him on murder charges.
The accused, Stephen Morris, 22, works with an online delivery service. He lives with his mother in a chawl in Mahakali caves. He was in a relationship with the deceased, Rihana Shaikh, 19, for the past year. Shaikh’s family did not approve of her relationship, police said. Shaikh resided with Morris at his place with his mother.
The couple often used to fight over Shaikh’s ex-boyfriend, police said. On Sunday night at 11 pm, they fought again and Morris assaulted Shaikh with a belt and his fists in the presence of his mother, police said.
He then fell asleep and on waking up at 11 am, saw Shaikh lying unconscious. He tried to wake her up and later rushed her to Holy Spirit hospital in Andheri (East) where she was declared dead before admission, police said.
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When Shaikh’s father inquired with Morris, he told the former that her ex-boyfriend assaulted her, police said. The MIDC police inquired with people in the locality, who said they heard screams coming from Morris’s house and said that the couple had fought that night, police said. The police said they are in the process of registering an FIR against Morris. He has been taken into custody.
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