On Friday, Thane police arrested a 26-year-old man for reportedly strangling his 25-year-old wife to death and then burning her body inside their Ulhasnagar home.
According to police, the accused doused kerosene on the body and set it on fire to deceive the investigators. Suraj Anand Kharat, the arrested accused, stayed with his wife, Sushila Sahebrao Nikalje, at Gaikwadpada in Ulhasnagar.
According to police, Kharat suspected his wife of having an extramarital affair, which caused them to fight frequently. Kharat strangled her to death with a shoelace during one of these fights in mid-August.
“It happened in an instant, and by the time he realised what had happened, the woman had died.” So he decided to deceive the police by burning her remains since it would be impossible to identify her, and the police could believe she had committed suicide,” an officer explained.
On August 22, Nikalje’s body was discovered when neighbours complained of a bad odour coming from the house. The Shivaji Nagar police station was notified, and a team was dispatched to the scene.
“Her body was sent to JJ hospital for a post-mortem, and doctors concluded that she had been choked to death before being set on fire.” A case of murder and destruction of evidence was filed at Shivaji Nagar police station,” said Inspector Tarde.
The police laid a trap and arrested him on Saturday; he confessed the crime.