Man drowns girlfriend in bucket in Maharashtra, wife helps dispose body in Gujarat | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: A 34-year-old graphic designer allegedly killed his 28-year-old girlfriend by drowning her in a bucket of water at her Naigaon home on August 9, police said. His wife helped him stuff the body in a suitcase, travelled with him on a scooter over 150km and dumped it near a creek in Valsad in Gujarat, police said, adding that to avoid suspicion, the couple also took along their two-year-old daughter.
Manohar Shukla was arrested from his Evershine home in Vasai early Tuesday. His wife, Poornima, was arrested later. The murder came to light during investigation in a missing person complaint filed by the victim’s sister mid-August.

During questioning, Manohar said he killed Naina Mahat, a hairstylist who also took up assignments in movies, as she refused to withdraw two complaints-for rape and assault-filed against him in 2019.
Mahat and Manohar were neighbours in Vasai in 2013. They got into a relationship a year later. In 2018, he married Poornima but continued the relationship. In early 2019, after Poornima learnt about the affair, she confronted them.
Nearly a month after a 28-year-old hairstylist, Naina Mahat, was reported missing by her sister, her murder came to light when police questioned her boyfriend, a married man, as there was no CCTV camera footage of her leaving her building after entering it with him on August 9. Her boyfriend, Manohar Shukla, and his wife, Poornima, were arrested on Tuesday
In August 2019, Mahat filed acase of rape, robbery and assault against Manohar (34) with Valiv police. Days later, she filed a case of assault against the Shuklas at Virar police station.
While Mahat stayed alone at Suntech Complex in Naigaon (E), he visited her often. Police said she had strained her relations with her siblings over her affair with Manohar.
On August 12, when Mahat’s elder sister Jaya, also a hairstylist, was unable to reach her, she approached Naigaon police. A missing person’s complaint was registered on August 14.
CCTV footage from the building showed Mahat and Manohar entering the premises on August 9. Thereafter, she was not seen leaving the building. Investigations revealed that on August 9, around 10am, the two got into a fight as Mahat accused Manohar of marrying Poornima despite being in a relationship with her. Manohar told police that Mahat threatened to commit suicide by consuming pesticide. He said that in a fit of rage, he dragged her by the hair to the bathroom and drowned her head in a bucket filled with water. On seeing her still, he placed her on the bed and left for work.
CCTV footage showed him returning to the building twice during the day. Around 9.45pm, he returned to the bu- ilding with his wife and daughter. They are seen leaving the building with a trolley bag. They then leave on the scooter with the bag placed between Manohar and Poornima. Their daughter is on Poornima’s lap.
Police said after Shukla confessed to the murder, they contacted their counterparts in Valsad, who confirmed that adecomposed body was found near the creek last month. While the body was identified as that of Mahat based on a tattoo, police said the DNA of her sister will have to be matched for confirmation.
Police said they are investigating if it was a planned murder and Poornima was party to it.
In her complaint filed aga- inst the Shuklas on August 18, 2019, Mahat said that they had called her to Virar the previous day. They travelled tripleseat on the scooter and on reaching the highway at Vasai, Poornima pushed her off the vehicle. Mahat fell and sustained minor injuries even as Manohar assaulted her with stones. The Shuklas then rode away, the complaint stated.