A new angle has emerged in the investigations of the murder of artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani, who were found dead here on December 12. Investigators now believe that prime accused Vidyadhar Rajbhar had offered to spy on Hema’s estranged husband Chintan, and things went awry when he refused to give any evidence unless she paid him.
Earlier this week, police arrested Vijaykumar, Shivkumar, Pradeep and Azad Rajbhar in connection with the murder; their employer, Vidyadhar, is still on the run.
Vidyadhar operated a workshop in Kandivali, and his services were used by both Hema and Chintan in their work. Hema and Bhambhani were murdered in the workshop..
“Being acquainted with both Chintan and Hema for several years, Vidyadhar was in a perfect position to offer information about Chintan to Hema. From investigations and interrogation of the arrested, we believe Vidyadhar offered to spy on Chintan in return for money. Whether or not Hema actually paid him is not clear, but the fact remains that she went to meet him with her lawyer when he claimed to have evidence against Chintan,” said an officer. Things are believed to have turned violent when Vidyadhar told Hema that he would not hand over the supposed evidence unless she paid him. He had also called the other accused to the workshop on Friday, telling them that he needed their help to “collect a payment”.
“We suspect an argument erupted between Hema and Vidyadhar over the handover of the evidence that he claimed to have, during which Hema threatened to expose his lies. According to the statements given by the other four accused, Vidyadhar then tried to sedate Hema with a rag soaked in chloroform. At this point, Bhambhani intervened, and a violent scuffle ensued, leading to the deaths of Hema and Bhambhani,” said the officer.
