The Mumbai Crime Branch on Sunday arrested a 29-year-old woman for allegedly murdering her brother and disposing of his body near Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers company in Chembur. Her brother-in-law, who allegedly helped her dispose of the body, was also arrested.
The body was found on the evening of December 3 near the railway tracks passing through Bhimwadi in Chembur, which are used by goods trains and hence are mostly secluded.
Meanwhile, Crime Branch officers instructed all units to conduct parallel inquiries. On December 4, police constable Ankush Wankhede with the Crime Branch Unit IX received a tip-off that a man and woman had been seen moving around suspiciously on the night of December 1 at the spot where the body was found.
“The informant had provided a physical description of the woman, and after four days, a team zeroed in on Reshma Ovhal (29), who stays in a colony not far from where the body was spotted,” an officer said.
Chandrakant Patankar
Ms. Ovhal was interrogated about her movements on December 1 and her replies were found to be evasive. She ultimately confessed to having committed the murder. “Ms. Ovhal identified the deceased as her brother, Devendra Akhade (32), who stayed with their father in the same locality. She said Akhade had a habit of getting abusive and violent after consuming alcohol, and being fed up of his behaviour, she hatched the plan. On December 1, when their father, a security guard, was at work, she went to Akhade’s house and strangled him, taking advantage of his inebriation,” the officer said.
She then called up her brother-in-law Chandrakant Patankar. After he got to Akhade’s house, she convinced him to help her dispose of the body, and they dumped it in Bhimwadi.
“We picked up Mr. Patankar, who also confessed to his role in the cover-up. Later, we arrested both of them,” the officer said.
The two accused have been charged with murder and destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code, and handed over to the RCF police.
