Woman Strangled to Death by Live-In Partner in Palghar, Maharashtra

In the Palghar district of Maharashtra, a 22-year-old lady was reportedly strangled to death by her live-in boyfriend because she insisted on getting married. Days later, the police arrested the culprit from West Bengal, according to an official.

According to him on Friday, the woman's decomposing corpse was discovered in a room they had leased in Dahanu town, Palghar district, on March 15, which led to the discovery of the murder.

According to a police officer, the victim and the 26-year-old accused, Minazuddin Abdul Ajij Mulla, also known as Ravindra Reddy, were taken into custody on March 22 in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas area.

"The woman, Anisha Barasta Khatun, was found dead on March 15 in a room located in a chawl at Dahanu where she lived with her live-in partner, who was untraceable," District Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil said in a Friday media address. The police first reported her death as an accident and sent her remains for a post-mortem." "The autopsy report did, however, affirm that strangling was the cause of death. Following then, it was changed to a murder case," he said.

He said that Ankita Kanse, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dahanu division), headed the team that was soon established to conduct the inquiry.

Another source said that during the investigation, the police discovered that the accused Mulla was from West Bengal and had taken on the identity Ravindra Reddy in order to rent a room in Dahanu. He then claimed that the victim was his wife.

The owner was notified of the crime when the room's neighbors complained about an unpleasant stench coming from it. The owner opened the door after hearing nothing from inside the room, to discover the woman's lifeless corpse laying there. He stated they called the cops right away.

To find and apprehend the culprits, a squad from the Dahanu police station was sent to West Bengal. He stated that in the early hours of March 22, they managed to capture Mulla after seven days of relentless attempts.

According to Additional Superintendent of Police Pankaj Shirsat, despite his opposition to the notion, the victim persisted in wanting to marry the accused, so he murdered her.

Mulla was placed under arrest and placed in police custody till April 2 by a Palghar court, he added.