The ghastly murder of 28-year-old Bollywood make-up artist-cum hair-stylist Naina R Mahat has come to light, with the arrest of a Palghar-based couple, who allegedly killed her, stuffed her body in a suitcase and dumped it in a creek near Valsad town in the neighbouring Gujarat a month ago.
Identifying the arrested couple as Manohar Shukla (34), a designer who was in a live-in relationship with Naina, and his wife, Poornima Shukla, the Naigaon police in Palghar district said that the couple had allegedly suffocated her to death by dunking the victim woman’s head in bucket of water in their bathroom on August 9.
Shukla, who is the prime accused, and Poornima, who has been charged with abetting the murder, later stuffed Naina’s body into a trolley bag. Together, they drove to Valsad, nearly 125 km away from Palghar, where they threw the suitcase into a creek and returned home early the following morning.
The investigations have revealed that Shukla and Poornima, who were arrested on Tuesday, were produced before a Palghar court which remanded them in police custody till September 16
Shukla and Poornima have been booked for murder, conspiracy, destruction of evidence, etc, based on the investigations into a complaint lodged by the victim’s sister Jaja Mahat.
Naina had been living with her sister Jaya and brother for a few months at Naigaon, before she fell in love with Shukla and was staying with him as a live-in partner.
A few years earlier, Naina, Jaya and their brother, had rented a flat at Naigaon. However, a few months ago, Jaya had left that home and shifted to neigbouring suburb Nalasopara after Shukla created a rift among the siblings.
The incident took place on the morning of August 9, when Shukla and Naina had a major verbal duel at her home in Suntech complex in Naigaon.
Naina accused him of marrying Poornima despite having been in a relationship with her and demanded that he now marry her or she would commit suicide.
A miffed Shukla dragged her to the bathroom, put her head in a bucket of water till she stopped breathing.
Later that evening, Shukla returned to the flat along with his wife Poornima and their two-year old daughter on their scooter.
The couple stuffed Naina’s body into a trolley bag and then drove off towards Valsad, around 125 km away, where they dumped it in a creek and returned home early the next morning.
With no trace of Naina, her sister Jaya was desperately trying to get in touch with her. Naina’s phone was switched off and she had disappeared from social media. Realising that something was amiss, Jaya lodged a complaint with the Naigaon Police on August 14.
The Police said that during the course of investigations, the arrested couple had confessed to the murder and had also revealed to the police where they dumped Naina’s body.
On their part, the investigators have also gathered other evidence like CCTV footage, statements of friends, associates and relatives.
Naina’s body was found in a highly decomposed state at a Valsad creek. Since it was not identifiable they had disposed of it with due protocols, while retaining a sample for a DNA analysis.
The Naigaon police have reached out to the Valsad police for their inputs and available evidence, including a DNA test report of Naina.