Maharashtra Police on Tuesday arrested a 43-year-old man after he allegedly murdered his live-in partner in Palghar district and disposed off her body in a creek at Valsad in neighbouring Gujarat. According to police, the accused Manohar Shukla committed the crime after the woman (28) refused to withdraw a rape complaint she had filed against him a few years ago.
Police said Shukla, a resident of Vasai city in Palghar, is married and his wife has also been arrested for her alleged involvement in the crime. A local court has remanded both of them in police custody till September 16.
The victim was a make-up artist and had been in a relationship with Shukla, who also works in the film industry, for almost five years. According to preliminary investigation, the woman was forcing Shukla to marry her and when he refused she filed a rape complaint against him.
As the woman refused to withdraw her complaint, Shukla drowned her and packed her body in a suitcase before dumping it in a creek in Valsad.
According to police, the crime took place between August 9 and 12.
The Naigaon police has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) based on a complaint by the victim's sister.
As per the FIR, the victim had told her sister that she feared the man would kill her.
According to the complaint, the accused was pressuring the victim to withdraw the complaints filed against him and if she did not do so, he allegedly threatened to kill her. Hence, the victim was afraid him, according to the FIR.