The headless body of a 51-year-old woman was recovered from a drain in Palghar’s Virar city after a four-hour search, police said on Tuesday. Her body was found five days after her severed head was found in a suitcase.
A bullion wallet found at the scene of discovery played a crucial role in identifying the deceased, PTI reported.
The police had already arrested the husband of the woman, identified as Utpala Hippargi, for allegedly beheading her.
The accused, Harish Hippargi, allegedly strangled the woman to death after they engaged in a heated argument at their home on January 8.
Also Read | Ghaziabad man rapes, murders his daughter; frames neighbour
Hippargi then transported his wife’s body near Deshmukh Farm in Virar, where he beheaded her using a sickle.
In an attempt to destroy evidence, he threw the headless body into a drain and packed the severed head inside a suitcase, which he later dumped near Pirkunda Dargah, police had said earlier.
With the help of the accused’s wallet, police were able to track him and began interrogation where he confessed to the crime.
Also Read | ‘Many men were involved’: Father of RG Kar rape-murder victim appeals to HC
After Harish’s confession, Mandovi police, assisted by the fire brigade, launched a massive search operation on Tuesday morning in Virar to locate his wife’s body, said senior police inspector Sanjay Hazare.
“After four hours of rigorous searching, police finally recovered Utpala’s decomposed body. A panchnama was conducted, and the remains were sent for forensic examination and autopsy,” he said.
The case came to light just days after a similar case was reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Jagannathpur where a man was arrested for allegedly beheading his girlfriend when she asked him to marry her, police said on Sunday.
Also Read | Faridabad: Man stabbed 21 times inside abandoned bus, 1 held
“The case began after police found the headless body of a woman near Jagannathpur village on Friday. She was identified on Saturday as a 26-year-old woman, who was living with her parents after marriage,” Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Durga Prasad Tiwari said.
Investigations led to the arrest of Asif Raza alias Faizan (24), her lover and a local motorcycle mechanic, police said.
(With PTI inputs)