Navi Mumbai man killed, body chopped into pieces; wife, lover held 11 months after murder

Thane/Mumbai, Jul 14 (PTI) An investigation to trace a 50-year-old man, who went 'missing' nearly a year ago, has unravelled a ghastly murder, leading to the arrest of his wife and her paramour who allegedly chopped his body into pieces and dumped the remains in a forest in Navi Mumbai, police said on Tuesday. The murder committed in August last year came to light recently after the victim's brother raised suspicion about his disappearance. The police then questioned the woman and her paramour, who confessed to the killing and throwing the body parts in a forest, the Rabale MIDC police station house officer said. The victim, Baliram Suryanath Kushwaha, lived with his wife Sunita (40) and their two children in Airoli,Navi Mumbai. According to investigators, Sunita had an extra-marital affair with Rahul Dashrath Prajapati (30), an autorickshaw driver. When Baliram discovered the relationship and opposed it, the duo hatched a conspiracy to eliminate him, the official said. On the night of August 9, 2025, after sending the children to a relative's house, the accused allegedly strangled Baliram while he was sleeping and slit his throat, he said. To erase all traces of the crime, they chopped his body into three parts, wrapped the remains in sacks, and transported them in Prajapati's autorickshaw to the Gawli Dev hill forest, dumping the pieces at separate locations, the official said. Sunita later rented out their family home and moved to Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai with her children. The horrific crime remained buried until April this year, when Baliram's brother visited Sunita and grew highly suspicious of her evasive explanations about his brother's sudden disappearance, prompting him to lodge a missing persons complaint. To evade being caught, the accused frequently changed their phones and SIM cards. However, the Call Detail Records (CDR) showed constant communication between the two, the police said. Police analysed call detail records, changes in mobile numbers, and inconsistencies in the statements of both accused. Sustained interrogation allegedly led to their confession, exposing the entire murder conspiracy. During a sustained interrogation, the duo 'confessed' to the crime. They were arrested on Sunday and booked under sections 103 (murder), 238 (destruction of evidence) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the official said. The police have recovered some remains of the deceased from the dense Gawli Dev forest, and a search is underway for the other body parts, he said. Following the arrest, the two accused were produced before a local court, which remanded them to seven-day police custody, the official added. PTI COR ZA GK NSK