Nandini Thakur (22) had tied the knot with Pankaj Rai about three years back against the families’ wishes as they belonged to different castes. Pankaj’s father, Kamal (55), was reportedly humiliated by people at his hometown in Bihar for this. Kamal also told police he suspected Nandini’s fidelity and had been plotting the killing for some months. He had paid one of the auto drivers a ‘supari’ of nearly Rs 1 lakh for help.
The accused with the police
The Malwani police found the body of a woman inside a sack on Aksa beach on December 24 with a tatoo ‘NP’ on her hand and a red beads necklace and mangalsutra in her neck. “We checked with other police stations and learnt that a woman had been reported missing from Kandivli (E). Her photograph in Samta Nagar police records showed her wearing the same necklace and mangalsutra,” said inspector Arjun Rajane.
Nandini had last been seen on December 8 and her father made a missing complaint on December 11. Police found it strange that Kamal had left for Bihar after Nandini’s disappearance, so he was summoned to Mumbai for questioning.
Meanwhile, investigators learnt that Pankaj and his mother had left for Bihar during Chhat Puja, before Nandini’s disappearance, which meant that Kamal was the only one from the family staying with her in Mumbai.
Kamal did not give police any straight answers. “We made inquiries in Kamal’s neighbourhood. We learnt that on December 9 Kamal had stayed overnight with auto driver, Pradeep Gupta. Gupta left for UP soon after that,” said assistant inspector Vijay Raskar. A police team got Gupta back here and he spilled the beans.
Early on December 9, Gupta and another driver, Krishnakant Singh, had visited Kamal’s residence. Two of the men held Nandini’s arms and legs down, while the third smothered her with a pillow, police said. They wrapped the body in a bedsheet, supported it with pillows and placed it in a sack. The three then went to Borivli (W), where they dumped the sack in a nullah. The tide carried it to Aksa beach weeks later.
Police said Kamal roped in Gupta, convincing him that the ‘supari’ money could be used to marry off his daughters. Kamal, Gupta and Singh were arrested on Wednesday.
“When Nandini and Pankaj eloped from Bihar three years back, Nandini’s parents registered a police complaint against Pankaj’s family. This had infuriated Kamal. But the couple lived separately at Nalasopara and moved in with him only during lockdown,” said a police officer.
Investigators learnt that Kamal had given another ‘supari’ on Nandini’s life few months back but things did not work out.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/body-in-sack-father-in-law-nabbed-for-honour-killing-in-mumbai/articleshow/80037757.cms
