The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legal cell office-bearer advocate Sanjay Sawant, his wife and her minor daughter have been arrested for allegedly killing a 32-year-old woman who worked as a secretary in Sawant’s office in Chandan Nagar. An FIR was registered on April 17.
The victim, who had been working with the advocate for over three years, left for work on April 16 but did not return home, triggering concern among her family members. Her husband’s repeated calls to her went unanswered. When he contacted the advocate, he was allegedly given vague responses, raising suspicion.
Growing anxious, the husband went to the office the next morning and found the shutter partially open. On entering the premises, he found his wife’s body stuffed inside a gunny sack and lying in a pool of blood, police said. He immediately alerted the police.
According to investigators, the motive appears to stem from the advocate’s wife suspecting a relationship between her husband and the victim. Acting on the suspicion, she allegedly conspired with her daughter to eliminate the woman. On the day of the incident, the duo reportedly confronted the victim inside the office, tied her hands and legs, and assaulted her with a bat and other blunt objects, leading to her death.
Police said that in an attempt to conceal the crime and delay its detection, the accused packed the body into a sack and left it inside the office. However, their plan quickly unravelled after the victim’s husband made the discovery.
Teams from Chandan Nagar police station and the crime branch launched a swift investigation and detained the trio.
During sustained interrogation, the wife and daughter allegedly confessed to the crime. Police probed the advocate’s role and found he had prior knowledge of the incident, while his role is also being investigated for possible destruction of evidence.
Senior police inspector at Chandan Nagar police station, Nilesh Badakh, said, “The accused woman suspected an illicit relationship between her husband and the victim. Acting on the suspicion, she, along with her daughter, tied the victim and brutally assaulted her using blunt objects. After the murder, the body was concealed in a sack in an attempt to hide the crime.”
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 103 (murder), Section 61 (criminal conspiracy) and Section 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), along with other provisions.
The role of the minor is being examined under the Juvenile Justice Act, and further forensic and digital evidence is being collected as part of the ongoing investigation.
