A 28-year-old makeup artist from Palghar district in Maharashtra was allegedly murdered by her live-in partner, and chillingly, she had confided in her sister about her fear that the man would take her life, as per the police statement sourced from the First Information Report (FIR).
The accused, a 43-year-old man, married and employed in the film industry, reportedly committed the heinous crime after the victim refused to withdraw a rape complaint she had filed against him several years ago.
The tragic incident unfolded between August 9 and 12, with the man, a resident of Vasai city, subsequently arrested. His wife was also taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in the crime, according to an official from the Naigaon police station.
Both suspects were presented before a local court on Tuesday, which remanded them in police custody until September 16.
The discovery of the victim’s body added a gruesome dimension to the case, as it was found packed inside a suitcase in a creek located in Valsad, Gujarat, as revealed by an official on Tuesday. The Valsad police had initially registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and proceeded to cremate the body, as no one had come forward to claim it.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the woman was killed by drowning before her body was placed inside a suitcase and discarded in the creek.
The Naigaon police initiated the legal process by registering a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing the disappearance of evidence of the offense). This action was taken following a complaint filed by the victim’s sister.
According to the FIR, the victim had expressed her fear to her sister that the accused might harm her. The complainant recounted that she had stayed with her sister for one month in July, residing in a housing society in Naigaon, Vasai, since April of the same year.
Furthermore, the complainant disclosed that in 2019, the accused had allegedly assaulted the victim, leading her to file a complaint with the Virar police. The victim had also filed a rape complaint against the accused in 2019, resulting in a case being registered against him by the Valiv police.
The victim’s sister added to the narrative in her complaint, explaining that on August 12 of this year, a makeup artist informed her that her sister was unreachable, as her mobile phone was switched off, and there were no updates on her social media profiles.