Suitcase murder: Police recover torso days after finding severed head in Virar

Based on the information given by the accused, the police, with assistance from fire officials, located the torso from a drain. PIC/HANIF PATEL

Mandvi Police have recovered the torso of a woman whose severed head was found in a suitcase last week in the Virar, Palghar district. The woman, identified as Utpala alias Soma Das, was allegedly killed by her husband, Harish Hipparagi, on January 8. Hipparagi purportedly decapitated her near a drain along the Virar-Nalasopara Link Road, where he dumped her torso stuffed in a bag.

According to police sources, the chilling case came to light on the evening of March 13 when local children discovered an abandoned suitcase near the Pirkunda Dargah area of Virar in Palghar district. Out of curiosity, the children opened the suitcase and were horrified to find a human head inside. Shocked by the gruesome discovery, they immediately alerted the local authorities.

Mandvi Police quickly arrived at the scene and launched an investigation into the matter. A forensic team was also called in to collect evidence from the crime scene for further examination.

As per police reports, the investigation soon led to the arrest of Harish Hipparagi. The police revealed that Hipparagi murdered his wife on January 8 and cut off her head. He then dumped her torso in a drain near the Virar-Nalasopara Link Road in Palghar district and later concealed the severed head in a suitcase, which he disposed of several kilometres away near the Pirkunda Dargah at Virar Phata.

Following Hipparagi's arrest, the police subjected him to intense interrogation. Based on the information he provided, the Mandvi Police, with assistance from fire officials, managed to locate the torso from the drain.

"The act was brutal and calculated," said a police officer involved in the investigation. "We are now conducting DNA tests to confirm the identity and match the head with the torso."