A 45-year-old woman was found dead at her Sion residence on December 13, prompting the police to arrest her brother-in-law on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder after the daughter of the deceased woman blamed the man for not saving her mother, who was present in the same room at the time of the incident.
Police said the family comprising the deceased woman, her 25-year-old daughter, 47-year-old father, and another 30-year-old man — her father’s aunt’s son — lived in a single-room house in Pratiksha Nagar, Sion. The daughter referred to the accused as ‘chacha’ (uncle).
According to the daughter, on the evening of December 13, around 7.40 pm, she returned home to find the door locked from inside and called for her mother. She also tried calling her mother on the phone, but there was no response.
In the statement to the police, the 25-year-old said that when the door was opened, she saw her chacha run to the bathroom, coughing and vomiting, and found her mother dead and claimed that her mother had died by suicide. The family immediately contacted the police and rushed her to Sion Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Alleged love affair
Police said that the accused was staying with the family, as his marriage was arranged to take place on April 20, 2026. However, on December 14, WhatsApp messages exchanged between the deceased and the accused, as seen by the daughter, suggested a love relationship between the two, and the mother was reportedly opposing his upcoming marriage.
Accused arrested
Based on the complaint filed by the daughter, an FIR was registered on Monday at Wadala TT police station, and the accused was arrested the same day, confirmed Manish Awhale, senior police inspector. “He was presented in court, which remanded him to police custody for two days,” the SI added. He was arrested under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, said police.
Suicide helplines
9152987821
Available from Monday to Saturday: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Source- findhelpline.com
24×7 Helpline:
9820466726
Source – AASRA – Suicide Prevention and Counselling NGO
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Source- National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences
