In a swift breakthrough, Kherwadi Police have solved the murder case of an elderly woman who was found abandoned in Bandra and arrested the accused within 24 hours of registering the offence. The accused has been identified as Bhanudas Vitthal Kamble (44), a resident of Thane. Police investigations revealed that he allegedly murdered the woman after she abused him for urinating on the roadside.
The deceased has been identified as Saubhagyamma Hanamanta Kathimyunar (78), a resident of Shahunagar area in Dharavi. Following his arrest, the court has remanded Kamble to police custody.
According to police, on April 27 at around 7 am, local residents informed Kherwadi Police that an unidentified elderly woman was lying unconscious on the फुटpath near the RNA building in Bandra. Police rushed to the spot and shifted her to Sion Hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Initially, an Accidental Death Report (ADR) was registered and the body was sent for post-mortem.
The post-mortem report later revealed that the woman had been assaulted with a heavy object on her head and forehead, and later strangled to death. Based on the findings, police registered a murder case against an unknown person and launched an investigation.
As the victim’s identity was initially unknown, police began efforts to trace her family while simultaneously examining CCTV footage from the area. In one of the CCTV clips, a suspicious man was seen loitering near the spot. Using technical surveillance, police tracked down and detained Bhanudas Kamble.
During interrogation, Kamble confessed that he works as an electrician and had come to Bandra for work on the day of the incident. After finishing work, while he was on his way home, he allegedly stopped near the RNA building to urinate. At that time, the elderly woman, who was sleeping on the footpath, objected and abused him. Enraged by this, Kamble allegedly hit her on the head with a brick and then strangled her to death before fleeing the spot.
Meanwhile, during efforts to identify the deceased, police found that a missing complaint had been registered for Saubhagyamma at Shahunagar Police Station. It was later confirmed that she had come to Bandra on April 27.
Police officials said that despite having no direct evidence initially, they managed to crack the case and arrest the accused within 24 hours. Kamble was produced before the court, which remanded him to police custody.