Mumbai: The Borivali police’s interrogation of a 19-year-old, who was arrested on Sunday night for the attempted murder of a 46-year-old woman, revealed that the woman’s son had sanctioned her murder.
According to the police, Meena Chheda, a resident of the Shimpoli area in Borivali, was attacked in her residence by Jasraj Nadar (19) at around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday. Nadar allegedly stormed into her house and stabbed her multiple times with a dagger. He left her bleeding on the floor and escaped. However, Ms. Chheda’s screams had attracted the attention of her neighbours, who rushed towards her house. On seeing Nadar emerge from the house with a dagger in his hands, they overpowered him and called the police.
A Borivali police team reached the spot to take Nadar into custody, while Ms. Chheda was rushed to a local hospital. She was later transferred to Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, where she underwent a surgery on Monday, said officials.
Meanwhile, Nadar was booked for attempt to murder under the Indian Penal Code. “Nadar told us that he was hired to kill Meena by her son, Dharmesh (19). When we questioned him further, he said Dharmesh suspected Meena of having an extramarital affair, and was furious with her,” said Police Sub Inspector Sachin Parodwad.
The police subsequently picked up Dharmesh for inquiries, and learned that a couple of months earlier, he had seen some messages that Meena had exchanged with someone on WhatsApp and Facebook, which gave rise to his suspicion.
The police said the conspiracy to kill Meena was hatched over the last month. The police have recovered Nadar and Dharmesh’s cell phones. The messages exchanged between them on WhatsApp, as well as their interrogations, have established that Dharmesh initially offered ₹30,000 to Nadar to kill Meena, ultimately increasing the offer to ₹1.20 lakh.
“Nadar did not question Dharmesh as to how he was in a position to make such a large offer. Relations were also strained between Meena and Dharmesh as she did not approve of the girl he was dating,” Mr. Parodwad said. Dharmesh has been arrested and booked for conspiracy to commit murder under the Indian Penal Code. Both teens have been remanded in police custody till April 20.
