Mumbai: Ten days after a headless body was recovered from sector 7 in Antop Hill area, the Mumbai crime branch on Saturday arrested a police constable Shivshankar Gaikwad (45) and his wife Monali (35) on the charges of murder. A metal plate in the ankle inserted during a foot surgery and a tattoo on the deceased body helped the police to identify the deceased Dada Jagdale (38), a resident of Solapur.
Gaikwad, a driver of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Dr Ashwini Patil of Sion division allegedly killed Jagdale on the suspicion of having an extramarital affair with his wife, said police. After learning about the alleged relationship, Gaikwad called him to Mumbai and killed him before dumping his headless body near the ACP office, said police. The police are yet to found the head and accused have claimed to have thrown it in garbage.
A headless body of an unidentified man was recovered from sector seven in Antop Hill on September 30. Its hands and legs were severed and attempts were made to burn the body, said the police. The Antop Hill police lodged an offence of murder and destruction of evidence and began investigation while the crime branch started parallel probe.
During its probe the crime branch unit 4 officials found a metal plate inserted inside the ankle of deceased during a surgery. The police contacted the company which manufactured the plate, based on the plate's number the company gave the address of Solapur hospital to which the plate was supplied.
The hospital checked its records and found it was inserted in Jagdale's ankle during a surgery. The police rushed to his home where his family identifed him based on the plate and the tattoo that read Dada. His family informed that Jagdale had been to Mumbai but since then he was not in contact.
The investigation revealed that before his death, Jagdale was in constant touch with Gaikwad. According to the police officials, Monali went to her maiden home after running into marital problems at her village in Solapur. In her hometown, she met Jagdale who was her school friend and allegedly established a romantic relationship with him, said police.
Recently when Monali returned to Mumbai to stay with Gaikwad, he reportedly learnt about her alleged relationship with Jagdale which enraged him, said an official. Gaikwad then called Jagdale to Mumbai and subsequently killed him, while Monali allegedly helped him, said police.
After detaining Gaikwad, he did not confess his crime, however, his call records with the victim and his car which he used to dump the body blew his cover, revealed the probe. The duo were produced before the court on Sunday which remanded them police custody till October 14.
