Mumbai: The Crime Branch Unit 5, which is investigating the murder of a 59-year-old musician, Bennett Rebello, who was allegedly killed by his adopted daughter and her 16-year-old boyfriend, is likely to treat the latter as a major and not as a juvenile, said a Crime Branch officer on Sunday. Rebello's severed body parts were found in a suitcase on December 2.
On Saturday, the Crime Branch arrested Rebello's adopted daughter, Aradhya Patil, alias Riya Bennett Rebello, and her minor boyfriend who has been sent to a children's remand home in Dongri.
In the records, his age is 16 years and 9 months. Crime Branch sources said they are inclined to treat the minor as a major in view of the brutality involved and the elaborate steps he took to dispose of the body, which was carefully preserved in the bathroom for hours.
Then, he painstakingly used four knives, which were steaming hot, to hack the body. These parts were stacked in suitcase and then disposed of in the Mithi.
All this seemed to indicate a development of mind which went far beyond his age. Also, he was clearly able to comprehend his actions and take steps to camouflage the crime.
On December 2, the police retrieved the deceased’s limbs and private part from a suitcase in the Arabian Sea behind the Mahim Dargah.
