Mumbai: The sessions court has refused to discharge a woman who allegedly helped her husband, a police constable, to kill her lover and dispose of his body in 2022. The court cited her daughter’s statement to prove her prima facie involvement in the crime. As per the prosecution case, Monali Gaikwad and Shivshankar allegedly killed Arjun Jagdale, a chilli trader from Solapur and her school friend. Jagdale’s headless body was found near CGST quarters at Antop Hill. Monali denied any role and instead registered a case against her husband and her in-laws with the Akluj police station in Solapur. She cited having separated from her husband long back and claimed that another woman was in the car when Shivkumar dispose of the body.
The prosecution, however, claimed that Monali was in an extramarital relationship with Jagdale but he was averse to marrying her. Shivshankar and Monali moved to Mumbai in August 2021 and Jagdale shifted a month later. The prosecution claimed the couple murdered Jagdale and disposed of his headless body in their car.
The prosecution relied on the statement of the couple’s daughter who claimed that Monali was in a state of shock and had injuries. The statement was corroborated by their neighbours, who had gathered outside their house after hearing noises. The sessions judge Dr AA Joglekar observed that it is not necessary at the stage of framing of charges to enter into elaborate inquiry
