Santacruz poisoning case: WhatsApp chats reveal codes for metals, explanation on quantities

Mumbai: The Crime Branch has filed a 1,365-page chargesheet in the Santacruz poisoning case, wherein businessman Kamalkant Shah and his mother Sarla Devi were poisoned to death with arsenic and thallium by the former’s wife Kavita alias Kajal Shah and her paramour Hitesh Jain. The act was undertaken to grab property, the chargesheet reveals.

As per the Crime Branch, Sarla Devi used to drink water from an earthen pot. Kajal Shah mixed heavy metals in her water, leading to slow death. Later, this pot was destroyed by the accused and the remaining water was drained into the toilet.

WhatsApp chats between the accused recovered

The police recovered the WhatsApp chats between the accused, in which Jain explains to Shah in what quantity should the metals be mixed with water or food. They used ‘A’ as code for arsenic and ‘T’ for thallium. He ordered half a kilo of arsenic and gave a part to Shah, destroying the rest after her husband’s death. The amount disposed of was also recovered by the police.

The chats between the accused also revealed their love affair and plans for the future. They spoke to each other 700 times in a year. The police also recovered the bills of their hotel stays.

To mislead the police, Jain travelled to Shahpur on Oct 26 and went to a hospital with injuries, which were later confirmed by the doctor as self-inflicted.

Vis-à-vis the poisoning, the cook told the police that he used to prepare food for the entire family but when Kajal Shah returned home after resolving matters with her husband, she took over the kitchen. She used to tell him to leave the kitchen when she prepared ukala for her husband.

Kamalkant’s accountant, in his statement to the police, said Kajal Shah had asked for information on Sarla Devi’s insurance money when the husband was in hospital. She had also inquired about the rent of the families properties and the accounts for such transactions.