Mumbai: In a shocking incident in Mulund East, a man locked his mother-in-law inside a tempo, brutally assaulted her, and then set the vehicle on fire. The blaze resulted in the deaths of both the mother-in-law and the accused son-in-law. The Navghar police have registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence against the deceased son-in-law. Initial investigations suggest that he committed the act out of resentment, blaming his mother-in-law for his wife leaving him.
The accused, identified as Krishna Daji Ashtankar (56), and the deceased mother-in-law, Babi Daji Usre (72), had a history of conflicts. Babi Usre lived in Nane Pada, Mulund East, with her married daughter and 22-year-old grandson. Krishna, a tempo driver, had been living separately from his wife and children for the past 7–8 years, struggling with alcohol addiction and residing in his tempo.
Krishna believed that his mother-in-law had influenced his wife to leave him, leading to frequent disputes between them. His wife had moved to Borivali in recent months for caregiving work, leaving him completely isolated.
On Monday morning, around 8 AM, Krishna visited his mother-in-law’s house, claiming he would take her to the hospital. Trusting him, Babi Usre got into the tempo. However, instead of driving, Krishna locked the shutter from inside, attacked her with a heavy object, doused her in petrol, and set the tempo on fire.
As the flames engulfed the vehicle, Krishna himself sustained severe burns, leading to his own death. The Navghar police and fire brigade rushed to the scene, but by the time they managed to open the locked tempo shutter, both victims had succumbed to the fire.
Doctors at Veer Savarkar Hospital confirmed their deaths. The Navghar police have registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence against Krishna Daji Ashtankar, and further investigations are ongoing.
