Cops hot on maid murder trail

The police are closing in on the motive behind the brutal torture and murder of 10-year-old

The key suspect, Roma Bhatia, 40, was further remanded in police custody till July 6 by the Andheri metropolitan magistrate’s court on Friday. Her parents, Vinod and Madhu Gajaria, and her brother, Rajesh, have also been arrested and remanded in police custody till July 6. The four have been charged under Section 302 (murder), Section 34 (common intention), Section  201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 377 (sexual intercourse against the order of nature) of the IPC.

Additional police commissioner, west region, Bipin Bihari told DNA Roma Bhatia nursed a long-standing grudge against Sonu. “When she caught Sonu applying her (Roma’s) mother’s lipstick, that worked as the flashpoint,” he said. Roma will now be interrogated to determine the cause of her resentment against the maid. Police sources said she had inserted an aluminium rod and chilli powder in Sonu’s private parts. “The clothes were washed in the washing machine to destroy evidence,” said an official.

According to the statement given by Sonu’s elder sister, Shanti, Roma was a hot-tempered person, who used to beat up her children. It is learnt that Sonu and Shanti lived on rent in an Oshiwara slum. While 15-year-old Shanti has been working with Roma for the last year, Sonu came to work in Gajaria’s place in January. Shanti said Sonu got a monthly salary of Rs800.

K Borse, public prosecutor, told DNA that the investigation was still to be completed. “We are yet to collect more evidence and take the statements of witnesses,’’ he said.