The decomposed body of a woman in her early 20s was found in a rented house in Gavadi village in Dombivli on Wednesday morning.
Gross negligence on part of the landlord, who had neither taken any details of his tenants nor registered them with the local police station, created a major hurdle in the investigation.
According to the Manpada police, the woman had moved in with a male companion around three months ago. On Wednesday, nearby residents informed the house owner about a stench coming from his house, which was locked from outside. He reached the house to investigate and found the heavily decomposed body inside, after which he called the police.
“The woman and her companion had moved in after one of the landlord’s friends referred them to him, and were staying in the house at a monthly rent of ₹2000. The landlord did not have a legal agreement with them and had not even noted down their names and contact numbers, so we are unable to even identify the woman. We do not know if the man staying with her was her boyfriend, husband or brother. He is missing,” senior police inspector Gajanan Kabdule, Manpada police station, said.
The body was taken to AIM hospital in Dombivli, and later shifted to Thane Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination.
“The tongue was sticking out, which indicates that death might have occurred due to strangulation. The level of decomposition made it impossible to detect any external injuries on the body, and we are awaiting post-mortem reports for an official cause of death,” Mr. Kabdule said.
The police have registered a case of murder under the Indian Penal Code based on circumstantial evidence. The police are also taking legal action against the landlord for failing to register the details of his tenants with the police station, Mr. Kabdule said.
