51-year-old man in Mumbai stabs woman to death, surrenders to cops

The Borivli police on Saturday arrested a 51-year-old man for allegedly stabbing and murdering a woman in Eksar Neel Kamal Cooperative Housing Society in Borivli (W). The accused has been arrested and was put under police custody.The accused, identified as Rakesh Rathod, was a resident of Eksar Neel Kamal Complex C.H.S. and lived with his mother in the B-wing of the same society. Rathod's brother, was a resident of house number 14, A-wing in same society till a few years ago, before he sold the flat and disappeared. Vanita Anand Mendan (52), the victim, and her daughter Puja Anand Mendan (25), were tenants of this house since past three years.Rathod allegedly claimed that he was the rightful owner of his brother's house, and he had inherited it, according to his father's will. Upon the inquiry of this will by the society, he claimed that he had 'lost' the will but demanded the current residents to vacate the house."On Saturday around 6.30pm, the victim along with her daughter were returning home from the market, when the accused saw her he started arguing with the victim, threatening to kill her unless she vacated the house. Under a fit of temper, the accused stabbed the woman, in abdomen, with a knife. The victim was rushed to the Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivli (E), where she succumbed," said Gunaji Sawant, senior police inspector."After the assault, the accused himself came to the Borivli police station and confessed the crime. He has been arrested under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and was put under police custody till January 27," added Sawant.According to the police, the accused has other similar cases of stabbing registered against him. The members of the society claim that Rathod is mentally unstable, although it has not been proven.