In a shocking case of murder driven by a dispute over an illicit affair, a 47-year-old businessman, Imamuddin Ghesasi Mansuri, was allegedly strangled to death by his girlfriend, who also happened to be a relative. The incident took place at a hotel in the Malad area of Mumbai. After committing the crime, the accused reportedly tried to mislead the police by sending a message from the victim’s phone claiming he had died by suicide.
Following the incident, Dindoshi Police registered a case of murder against the accused woman, Barkat Rathod, and launched a manhunt. Barkat was eventually traced and arrested in Surat, Gujarat, and brought to Mumbai for further investigation. She is originally a resident of Jaipur, Rajasthan.
According to police, the incident occurred on Sunday, May 4, between 1:30 PM and 3 PM at Room No. 106 of Shalimar Hotel, located near Malad railway station. The complaint in the case was lodged by the victim’s 23-year-old son, Ahmad Raza Imamuddin Mansuri, who resides in Naya Nagar, Mira Road. The deceased, Imamuddin, was an interior decorator by profession.
On Sunday around 4 PM, a message was received in the family WhatsApp group, allegedly sent by Imamuddin himself, stating that he was taking his own life due to mental distress. Concerned, his son Ahmad Raza informed the police and requested help in locating his father.
During the search, police traced Imamuddin to Shalimar Hotel in Malad. When officers reached the location, they found him unconscious in the hotel room. He was immediately shifted to a nearby government hospital, where he was declared dead. Initially, an Accidental Death Report (ADR) was filed, and the body was sent for postmortem.
However, the autopsy report revealed that Imamuddin had not committed suicide but had been strangled. The report showed injury marks on his neck and scratches, suggesting that he was forcibly killed.
Further investigation revealed that Imamuddin had been in an illicit relationship with Barkat Rathod, who is the wife of his brother-in-law. The two had checked into the hotel room together on Sunday morning. Due to their affair, Barkat had faced severe social backlash, and her husband had severed all ties with her. This allegedly enraged her.
According to police, she called Imamuddin to the hotel under the pretext of a meeting, where she strangled him during an argument. She then sent a suicide message from his phone to mislead the family and police, and fled from the hotel.
Based on mobile location tracking, police found that she had fled to Surat. A team from Dindoshi police was dispatched, and Barkat was taken into custody. During interrogation, she confessed to having murdered Imamuddin by strangulation.
Police are continuing their investigation into the matter.