In a sensational double murder, the bodies of high-profile sculptor Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harsh Bhambani were recovered from a drain at Kandivli (West) in north Mumbai on Sunday. The bodies were wrapped in plastic sheets and packed in cardboard boxes.
The murders came to light when a municipal sweeper doing the morning rounds found the boxes in a drain in laljipada locality. Hema, who was also a photographer, and her lawyer Bhambani (65) were reported missing since Friday.
Forty-two-year-old Hema, who hailed from Vadodara, was the estranged wife of Chintan Upadhyay (43). Bhambani had represented Hema in a harassment case filed by her against Chintan. While Bhambani used to
live at King’s Circle in north-central Mumbai, Hema, who used to live alone, was a resident of Santa Cruz in north-west Mumbai.
Hours after the recovery of the two bodies, the city police detained three persons in connection with the ghastly double murder and questioned Hema’s estranged husband Chintan.
There are two versions on the condition of the bodies when they were recovered by the police. While police said the hands and legs of the bodies had been tied with ropes, then the bodies were sewed in plastic sheets and packed in two cardboard boxes, another unconfirmed version said that the perpetrators had cut the two bodies into pieces, put the parts in cardboard boxes and then covered the boxes with plastic sheets. They later left the bodies in a drain near the dumping area.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police officer involved in the probe said the bodies were in “semi-naked” condition.
The investigators have sent the bodies for post-mortem and the cardboard boxes and plastic sheets have been sent for forensic tests. Police said Bhambani’s car, in which he had left for a meeting with Hema, is yet to be traced.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikram Deshmane said: “A case of murder has been registered. We are investigating the cause of death and other aspects of the murder”.
Police on Sunday questioned Chintan his servants, besides Hema’s driver and her domestic servant in connection with the murders.
A domestic help of Hema had lodged a missing complaint with Santa Cruz police station late on Friday night after she did not return home all Friday.
Bhambani’s wife had also filed a missing complaint with Matunga police station since he did not return home after having told them that he was going to meet a client.
Investigations have revealed that sometime in 2013, Hema had lodged an Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, against her husband Chintan, alleging that he was painting obscene sketches on the walls of her room.
Chintan and Hema, who were classmates at Baroda Faculty of Fine Arts, had married in 1998 and the two had collaborated and worked together for many exhibitions. After their relations soured, the couple had filed for divorce in 2010 and were fighting a bitter battle since then.
Hema, who used photography and sculptural installations to explore notions of dislocation and nostalgia, had made a name for herself in art circles.
A Bachelor’s (Painting) and Master’s (Printmaking) in Fine Arts from MS University, Baroda, Hema had held several exhibitions in India and other parts of the world. She was also the recipient of a National Scholarship from the Ministry of Human Resources, and was also honoured with awards by the Gujarat lalit Kala Academy and the national lalit Kala Akademi for her work in the 10th International Triennial, India hosted in New Delhi.
Chintan, who hails from Rajasthan, is also a known name in art circles. He began as a painter, but has for some time been creating sculptures and installations that he paints. He won the Charles Wallace Foundation Award for Residency in Bristol, UK in 2012.