Navi Mumbai, June 4: Mandwa police, while investigating the disappearance of an 85-year-old woman from Alibag, recovered her body from a 100-foot-deep gorge at Ambenali Ghat on Thursday after her relative and his accomplice allegedly confessed to murdering her for her gold jewellery.
The deceased, identified as Sunanda Laxman Patil, 85, of Saral Adivasiwadi in Alibag taluka, had been reported missing by her son, a resident of Vayshet village, on Tuesday. During the probe, police discovered that Patil had allegedly been kidnapped, murdered and her body dumped in the ghat to destroy evidence.
Two detained in case
Police have detained Andarsh Hiraji Sedge, 32, a pickup tempo owner and the son of the deceased's cousin, and his friend Ritesh Naresh Lohar, 20, a gardener, both residents of Tinvira village in Alibag taluka.
According to police, Patil had left home on Sunday to attend a function while wearing a substantial amount of gold jewellery.
Police recover the body of an elderly woman from Ambenali Ghat after uncovering an alleged murder plot linked to robbery of her gold ornaments | File Photo
Body dumped in gorge
Police revealed that Sedge offered Patil a lift in his pickup tempo. During the journey, he and Lohar allegedly killed her inside the vehicle. The accused then reportedly concealed the body at Sedge's vacant house before transporting it to Ambenali Ghat later that day and throwing it into a gorge.
Following sustained interrogation and technical investigation in the missing person case, the accused allegedly confessed to the crime, leading police to the disposal site. "We found CCTV footage which helped us reach the accused," Police Inspector Somnath Lande from Mandwa police station said.
Case registered
A joint operation involving Mandwa police and members of the Mahabaleshwar Trekkers and Pratapgad Search and Rescue Team was launched on Thursday, during which the woman's body was recovered from the valley.
"The accused allegedly conspired to steal the victim's gold ornaments, murdered her and attempted to destroy evidence by disposing of the body in a remote gorge," Lande said.
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Based on the findings, Mandwa Coastal Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to murder, kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. Further investigation is underway under the supervision of SDPO Maya More and Police Inspector Lande.
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