Mira Road man mixed poison in victim’s chaas

Investigations into the grisly Mira Road murder case have revealed that the 56-year-old accused mixed pesticide in buttermilk to poison his wife. The police said sexual frustration was the prime motive behind the brutal killing as the deceased had turned down his advances for the past six months.

This theory gives the cops reason to believe he may have even indulged in necrophilia. The accused was produced before the court on Friday and was remanded in police custody till June 22.

The police have learnt that the accused had been in relationships with several women and was extremely active on social media and dating applications. The deceased caught him many times, which led to regular fights and ultimately, she wanted to end the relationship.

The accused at Naya Nagar police station on June 8. Pic/Hanif Patel

ccording to police officers, the couple had been in a live-in relationship at Mira Road since 2014. Though the accused claimed he had married the deceased in a temple at Tungareshwar in Vasai, the cops refuse to believe his claim as there is no legal record of the union.

Twisted motive

A police source told mid-day, "Six months ago, the couple began fighting after the accused was caught chatting with other women. The accused also had physical relations with them, and this disturbed the deceased. As a result, the couple squabbled incessantly. The woman stopped having physical relations with the accused six months prior to her demise."

"The accused told us that just seven days prior to the incident, he entered the bedroom where his wife was sleeping. He wanted to get intimate with her, but she refused. The accused also drew close to her and tried to embrace her, but she stopped him. She threw the accused out of the bedroom and locked herself in," the source said. The infuriated accused then began sleeping in the hall.

According to the police, after dinner on June 3, the accused visited a shop near his house and bought some buttermilk. He then mixed the poisonous Judwaa SS-0572 pesticide, manufactured by Sulphur Mills Limited, into the beverage and served it to the deceased. The cops also found the accused had looked up poisons on Google on May 28 and 29 and purchased the pesticide on June 30 from Aadarsh Stores at Babhai Naka in Borivli West. The police have recorded statements of shopkeepers who sold the pesticide and buttermilk to the accused.

The authorities also recovered a mangalsutra, four mobile phones, two 10-inch-long knives, papers, a DVR, a 4 TB Hard Disk, a 128 GB pen drive, 10/12-inch chainsaw, a marble cutter, a hammer, white liquid in a water bottle, five essential oil bottles, two buckets, a tray, five utensils and a pressure cooker. The accused ordered food wrappers online after allegedly killing the woman. Nail, tooth, hair and scalp samples have been taken from the remains of the victim for testing.

May 28
Day accused began researching poisons

Why police sought custody of accused

. He was active on social media and dating apps and the police want to look into his interactions with women and gain insights into his character
. The DNA report from JJ hospital and an autopsy report from the Kalina Forensic Laboratory are awaited
. The police want the mental condition of the accused to be evaluated
. Chat histories and call records of the four phones are yet to be examined
. The accused is changing his statement and not cooperating with the investigation