Mother’s alleged boyfriend prime suspect in Bhayander double murder, police launch manhunt
Deepika Sanghvi and her 8-year-old daughter Hetavi Sanghvi
The police have launched a manhunt to trace the alleged boyfriend of the 29-year-old victim, who was found murdered along with her eight-year-old daughter in their Bhayander East flat on Saturday.
According to the post mortem report, Deepika Sanghvi and her 8-year-old daughter Hetavi were killed on January 25. Deepika had separated from her husband last year and worked in a Mumbai-based call centre.
The crime came to light after the residents of Sonam Saraswati building in Bhayander informed cops about a foul smell emanating from the flat were the victims lived.
When cops arrived, they found Deepika’s body in the living room. There were blood stains on the wall and her dress had been pulled up, due to which police have not ruled out the possibility of sexual abuse.
According to Dr Mahesh Patil, DSP, Thane Rural, Hetavi’s body was discovered while the cops were in the flat. The stench led them to remove the mattress and open the storage area of a bed, where they found her body wrapped in a bedsheet.
Both mother and daughter were hit on their heads with a blunt object.
After launching an investigation into the matter, cops checked the CCTV footage of the building where Deepika’s alleged boyfriend was seen entering the building around 10 pm on Wednesday (January 25) and leaving around 7 am on Thursday.
He was also caught on CCTV around 7:30 am while boarding a train from Bhayander railway station.
According to the building’s watchmen, the man visited the victim’s house occasionally. Neighbours also told officials that Deepika had been involved in an argument with someone late Wednesday night.
Suspecting his involvement, cops tried to call him for questioning. However, they found that his phone was turned off.
The police also questioned Deepika’s husband Kartik Sanghvi on Sunday. But his involvement has been ruled out, Dr Patil confirmed.
Kartik told cops that he had taken objection to the youth visiting their house since his daughter disliked him, but to no avail.
The estranged husband had also visited their house on Friday after Deepika’s mother told him that she wasn’t answering her calls. However, no one including the neighbours had any clue about their whereabouts.
The couple had separated in February and were about to start divorce proceedings in Thane court soon.
Meanwhile, the police has formed separate teams to trace the alleged boyfriend. Further investigation is underway.
