Man kills live-in partner near Mumbai; ’boiled cut-up body parts’

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

Mumbai, June 08, 2023: Two days after the Charni Road hostel murder case, another incident has shocked Mumbai. A 36-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her live-in-partner and chopped into “several pieces" in Mira Road.

 

While 13 body parts were found at the residence of the accused, he disposed of other parts after cutting them into several pieces and accused used to “boil body parts in cooker" to ensure there is no foul smell. Police had initially found only the leg of the victim.

The accused, Manoj Sahani (56), was arrested on Wednesday evening while trying to flee from his rented apartment. Sahani was staying with the victim, identified as Saraswati Vaidya, in flat 704 at J wing of Geeta Akash Deep building in Geeta Nagar Phase 7 over the past three years.

According to officers, residents of the building had called the Nayanagar police station around 7 pm on Wednesday, complaining that a foul smell was emanating from flat number 704. When police reached the Mira Road apartment, Sahani opened the door.

He tried to flee on seeing the cops. But was nabbed with the help of the residents. When police entered the flat, the found only the victim’s legs. The accused had reportedly disposed of some of the body parts over the past two to three days.

A report in Hindustan Times quoted Jayant Bajbale, deputy commissioner of police (zone 1), as saying: “We have arrested Sahani and are investigating to find out the motive behind the murder and how he executed it."

Police said that Sahani showed no sign of remorse. “We are in the process of registering an FIR against him for murder and destruction of evidence," an officer said. A forensic team was called to collect samples and evidence from the apartment.

‘Accused Seen Feeding Stray Dogs’

Reports stated that residents told the police that the couple did not mingle with anyone in the building. A report in Times of India quoted residents as telling the police that Sahani was seen feeding stray dogs in the locality over the past two to three days — something that he had never done in the past.

The report stated that police suspect he may have fed some of the body parts to the strays. Officers are also trying to find out if body parts were flushed down the drain.

The HT report stated that the door of the couple’s flat does not have a name plate and it is registered in the name of Sonam builders.

What Does Police’s Preliminary Investigation State

• Police suspect the murder may have taken place on Sunday.

• They also suspect that the accused strangulated Vaidya and used a saw to chop her body.

• The TOI report stated that saw used for chopping the body has been seized.

Recent Murders in Mumbai and the Suburbs

• An 18-year-old woman from Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region was allegedly raped and strangled to death in her fourth-floor room of a government women’s hostel in south Mumbai’s Charni Road on Tuesday.

The suspect, identified as security guard Prakash Kanojia, who also worked as a laundry man, ended his life soon after.

• A headless body of a woman was found in a travel bag in Bhayander’s Uttan beach on Friday. The officers arrested the woman’s husband, who suspected she was in an extramarital relationship.

According to reports, the head, which was believed to have been dumped in the Bhayander creek, is still to be found. He allegedly cut the torso into two parts.

• In March, a 24-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly killing her mother and cutting her into pieces at their house at Mumbai’s Lalbaug. She stayed with her mother’s remains at the house for over two months.

• In February, a 37-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her live-in partner and hid her body in the storage area of the bed at their rented house near Mumbai’s Nalasopara.

• Though the infamous Shraddha Walkar case did not take place near Mumbai, but the accused and the victim were from Vasai. The accused had chopped his live-partner’s body into 35 pieces and dumped across the national capital.