Mumbai: Investigations by the Thane Police into an apparent hit-and-run incident on December 18 has revealed a tale of deceit and murder, leading to the arrest of a woman and a man on December 25 for attempt to murder. The duo, identified as Sumari Yadav, 40, and Jayprakash Chauhan, 45, are purportedly in a relationship, according to the police.
On December 18, the Kasarwadavli police station registered a road mishap case, in which Ramji Sharma, 46, was run over by a white car while on his morning walk. Mr. Sharma, a resident of Azad Nagar, Thane (West) was admitted to Titan Hospital in Thane with serious injuries, and later shifted to JJ Hospital in Byculla. The car involved fled the scene. On December 27, Mr. Sharma succumbed to his injuries at JJ Hospital, and murder charges were added.
Connecting dots
Investigations after registering a case of causing injury due to rash and negligent driving under the IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act against unidentified persons revealed fragments of the side rear-view mirror and fog lights of the car at the spot. An officer who is part of the investigation said the police’s suspicions were roused when a relative of Mr. Sharma told them the latter would never have met with this accident “had he not fallen for that woman”.
The officer added, “The relative said Mr. Sharma was in an affair with Sumari Yadav, a resident of the same locality, and that she, too, was on a morning walk in the same area on the morning of the accident. The relative hinted that Mr. Sharma and Ms. Yadav would meet during their morning walks, including on that morning.”
To eliminate any possibility of a murder, police decided to probe the case further. Mr. Sharma and Ms. Yadav’s call records showed the latter made frequent calls to a number registered in the name of Jayprakash Chauhan, a Thane resident. The records also showed that Mr. Chauhan’s number has been switched off since the day of the accident.
It turned out that Mr. Chauhan drove a relative’s tourist vehicle, a white Maruti Swift. The car’s owner told the police that Mr. Chauhan had dropped off the vehicle on December 18. Upon examining the vehicle, police found it had a new side rear-view mirror and fog light, while some parts of the body had been repainted.
Closing the lid
PI Nasir Kulkarni, Kasarwadavli police station, said the police got the relative to help them in getting Mr. Chauhan to come to Thane, and picked him up on December 25. “He told us he was in love with Ms. Yadav, and there were frequent fights between them over her interactions with other men, particularly Mr. Sharma. She allegedly told him that Mr. Sharma wouldn’t leave her alone, and he should get rid of him.”
To carry out the crime, Mr. Chauhan allegedly kept a watch on Mr. Sharma’s movements for five to six days before running him down on December 18. An officer said, “Mr. Chauhan had assumed that even if he did get caught, he would only be tried for rash and negligent driving, which would have been the case had the truth not come out.”
Mr. Chauhan and Ms. Yadav were arrested after the former confessed, and have been now charged with murder under the IPC.
