The Hadapsar police have cracked a case of the murder of a 40-year-old woman, Sunita Sharad Bhandari, who was strangulated to death and buried in her house at Dangat Wasti in Sadesatra Nali, Hadapsar, on February 25.
The Hadapsar police have cracked a case of the murder of a 40-year-old woman, Sunita Sharad Bhandari, who was strangulated to death and buried in her house at Dangat Wasti in Sadesatra Nali, Hadapsar, on February 25.
The arrested suspect has been identified as Ajay Shinde, 35, of Panchvati, Nashik.
According to the police, Shinde, who hailed from a poor family, worked as a waiter in different restaurants in the city. A year ago, Bhandari and Shinde met each other through a friend and started living together as Bhandari’s husband had abandoned her. Shinde worked at a restaurant in Hadapsar while Bhandari worked at a private school.
According to the police, Bhandari’s daughter, Komal Naik, had lent her mother gold ornaments valued at Rs10,000 during Ganesh festival. However, Bhandari misplaced the ornaments even as Komal kept asking for them.
The deputy commissioner of police (zone IV), Sanjay Jadhav, said that Bhandari in turn pestered Shinde to give her money to pay for her daughter’s ornaments. Though Shinde used to give his salary to Bhandari every month for household expenses, the two had frequent arguments which culminated in Shinde strangulating Bhandari and burying her in his own house.
“After murdering Bhandari, Shinde spent the night in the house. Next morning, he admitted himself to Sassoon Hospital as he wanted to get himself checked for AIDS. Meanwhile, his cellphone got stolen at the hospital and, fearing arrest, he fled from the hospital and went to Shirur taluka,” Jadhav said.
The murder came to light on February 26 when Komal went to visit her mother and noticed that the earthen stove had been removed and a portion of the floor was covered with gunny bags. She suspected foul play and informed the neighbours, who called the police and recovered Bhandari’s body.
The police traced Shinde’s mobile to Uttar Pradesh but could not find him. Meanwhile, he found a job at a labour camp in Perne Phata in Shirur and made a call to Komal from someone else’s cellphone. Komal informed the police and they traced Shinde’s location, but he managed to flee.
Shinde was finally arrested from Dhanori near Lohegaon following a tip-off, said assistant commissioner of police (ACP), VT Pawar.
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