Murder accused held after 4 days on the run

Killed lover at Sankalp lodge in Vashi

Four days after a 40-year-old woman was found murdered at Sankalp lodge in Vashi, the Vashi police arrested the accused from Rabale on Thursday.

The police said that the accused, Ashok Dalvi (50), and the victim, Uma Malvadkar alias Manda Sukhadare, were residents of Ghansoli and were in a relationship for the past four years. While the victim was a widow, Mr. Dalvi was a widower who stayed with his two sons.

Police inspector Sanjeev Dhumal said that Mr. Dalvi confessed that he killed the woman with a knife at the lodge on January 27. Mr. Dhumal said, “The accused slit the woman’s throat after she told him that she was in a serious relationship with a younger man and wanted to marry him.”

The murder came to light when the watchman of the lodge inspected the room after he saw Mr. Dalvi leaving the lodge alone in a hurry. Mr. Dalvi then switched off his phone and went missing. The police said that the accused switched on his phone for a brief while after reaching Powai.

Mr. Dhumal said, “We learnt that the accused stayed in Powai 20 years ago and we zeroed in on the location. Meanwhile, a separate team was sent to the accused’s native place in Ratnagiri. From Powai he fled to Rabale, where we nabbed him near the Rabale railway station.”

The police said that the accused had been going through depression for the past one and a half years. Mr, Dalvi will be produced before the court on Friday.