Mumbai crime news: According to media reports, a taxi driver in Mumbai's Nagpada was arrested for allegedly killing a woman and dumping her body near a rivulet. Nizam Khan, was in a relationship with the woman and admitted to killing her on suspicion that she was having an affair.
According to the police, the decomposed body of Poonam Kshirsagar, 27, was found on April 25 in the Uran area of Raigad district. She was a resident of Mankhurd, a suburb in eastern Mumbai, and worked as a domestic help in Nagpada in Mumbai.
On April 18, she went to her workplace but did not return home. When her parents enquired about her from the employer, they were informed that she had left the place in the evening. A missing person's complaint was registered at Mankhurd police station by Poonam's family.
Case filed in murder mystery
On April 25, a decomposed body was found at an isolated spot in Uran coastal area. Half of the body was in a gunny bag and it was completely decomposed. A case was filed against an unknown person under Section 302 of the IPC.
The Uran Police sent the body for post-mortem and sent out an alert for identification. Based on the details, the Mankhurd Police reached out to Poonam's family, who identified her due to her bracelet and clothes.
The post-mortem revealed that Poonam was strangled and drowned.
Police probe
During the investigation, police officials found that one Nizam Khan, a resident of Nagpada, used to pick up Poonam from Mankhurd every day and drop her at Nagpada. Nizam told police that he and Poonam went to Khadavli after her shift ended on April 18, where she drowned.
Nizam said he took Poonam to a government hospital where she was declared brought dead. He claimed that he panicked and dumped her body in Uran. Nizam Khan was then handed over to Uran Police who further questioned him.
During his questioning, Nizam admitted to killing Poonam by strangling her and then dumping her body. He also said that he suspected that Poonam was having an affair and they got into an argument, following which he killed her.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya meets Poonam's family
On Monday, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya met the family of Poonam and claimed she was killed due to "love jihad".
"I am here with Poonam Kshirsagar's family at her residence in Mankhurd. She was abducted by Nizam Khan, who tricked her and then killed her. This is another love jihad incident and her family is asking for justice. They are distraught," said the BJP leader.
"I have spoken to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Special Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti regarding this incident and whoever is responsible should face harsh punishment," he added.
How tragic incident happened?
According to reports, Poonam was unaware of Nizam’s marital status until discovering he was already married with a child. This revelation led to a confrontation over the phone, escalating into the tragic incident.
Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mangal Prabhat Lodha, after meeting with the victim’s family, asserted that Nizam transported Poonam to Kalyan, where the alleged murder took place.
Lodha, who serves as Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister, highlighted this as the third such incident in Mumbai, underlining the need to address illegal immigration from Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in the city.
Assuring justice for Poonam, Lodha warned of potential unrest if swift action is not taken against the perpetrator within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, AIMIM leader Waris Pathan accused the BJP of communalising the incident. "Whoever has committed the crime should get punishment as per law. But the BJP is trying to make it a Hindu versus Muslim issue and trying to incite people," he said.
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