19-year-old woman arrested with lover, friend for killing her husband
NAVI MUMBAI: A 19-year-old woman and two others were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly murdering her husband with the help of her lover and a female accomplice
NAVI MUMBAI: A 19-year-old woman and two others were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly murdering her husband with the help of her lover and a female accomplice.
According to the Nagothane police in Raigad, the victim, Krishna Namdev Khandvi, 23, a resident of Gaulwadi village of Pen, was reported missing on October 10. Khandvi worked at a steel plant and had been married to the accused, Dipali Nirgude since 2022. The duo were childhood sweethearts who had known each other since school, the police said.
With no initial clues, investigators analysed CCTV footage, and suspicious numbers on the missing person’s call data records. Investigations led to the accused, Nirgude, who had recently joined a nursing college and befriended Umesh Mahakal, 21, through social media. The police formed a special investigation team and conducted detailed inquiries in Nashik and Raigad.
The probe revealed that the victim’s wife had been in a two year-relationship with Mahakal, and the duo had allegedly conspired to kill Khandvi so that they could start a life together, said Anchal Dalal, superintendent of police, Raigad.
Mahakal then sought help from Supriya Chaudhary, 19, a student from Adgaon Devla, who he had met through social media. Chaudhary created a fake Instagram profile under an alias ‘Payal Wargurde’ to chat with Khandvi and pretended to fall in love with him. Once the victim was emotionally trapped, the accused lured him into meeting ‘Payal’ in person.
“Supriya was paid ₹2 lakh for executing the plan, which included honey trapping the victim,” said the police officer. “On October 10, Umesh and Supriya arrived on a motorcycle at Nagothane ST stand, their faces covered to avoid recognition. They convinced Krishna to join them and took him to a secluded forest area near Wasgaon. There Umesh strangled Krishna from behind with a stole,” the police officer added.
To erase the evidence of the murder and prevent the body from being identified, the duo poured chemical substances on the victim’s face, hands, and chest, and later destroyed his mobile phone near Pali after removing the SIM card. Once the accused were arrested and interrogated, Chaudhary led the police to the crime scene where they found the victim’s body.
All three of the accused were arrested on Wednesday and charged under sections 103 (murder), 238 (disappearance of evidence), 61 (2) (criminal conspiracy), 140 (1) (kidnapping), 324 (4) (mischief) and 3 (5) (common intent) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
