New Delhi: In a chilling reminder about the Shraddha Walkar murder case and 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.
Police found 13 body parts at the residence of the accused. He disposed of other parts after cutting them into several pieces, sources told News18 on Thursday, adding that the 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 stayed with the victim, Saraswati Vaidya, in flat 704 at J wing of Geeta Akash Deep building in Geeta Nagar Phase 7 over the past three years.
Reacting to the sensational murder, NCP leader Supriya Sule said that the man tried to dispose of the body “by cooking it in a cooker and grinding it in a mixer”, which is “extremely gruesome, inhumane and outrageous”. She added that criminals no longer have fear of law in Maharashtra and crimes against women are increasing at an alarming rate.
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, they found only the victim’s legs. The accused had reportedly disposed of some of the body parts over the past two to three days.
Police sources told News18 that when the officers entered the apartment, it was almost impossible for them to stand due to the strong stench. Many air fresheners were kept in the house.
“A tree cutter was kept in the hall and black plastic was spread all over the bed in the bedroom. The victim’s hair was lying in the bedroom. There were also three buckets kept in the kitchen, in which there were small pieces of the body and it was filled with blood,” a source said.
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 on Wednesday evening. A forensic team was called to collect samples and evidence from the apartment.
According to reports, 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 nameplate and it is registered in the name of Sonam Builders.
Picture of the accused Manoj Sahni who reportedly killed his live-in partner and chopped her body into pieces, in Thane, Maharashtra https://t.co/I9OEVJCMT7 pic.twitter.com/9XBWaqY8fF
— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2023
