Based on circumstantial evidence, the Rabale MIDC police have booked a woman and her lover for the murder of her husband, after initially registering a case of kidnapping. The accused, Poonam Waghmare (28) and her boyfriend Suresh Yadav (24), have been arrested for allegedly killing Kalidas Waghmare and disposing of his body in the Balkum creek in Thane.
The case came to light through WhatsApp chats between the two accused, which revealed their conspiracy. Despite a missing person’s complaint filed by Poonam on May 19, police investigations and recovered digital evidence pointed to a premeditated murder.
According to police, Kalidas Waghmare lived with Poonam and their two children in Rabale MIDC. A habitual alcoholic, Kalidas often assaulted Poonam, leading to her prolonged affair with Suresh Yadav, an autorickshaw driver from the same area. Frustrated by her abusive marriage, Poonam allegedly hatched a plan with Suresh to eliminate Kalidas, who was seen as an obstacle to their relationship.
On May 16, while Poonam was away in her village, Suresh approached Kalidas under the pretext of returning house keys. He took Kalidas in his rickshaw, gave him alcohol, and, once he was intoxicated, fatally struck him on the head with a stone. Suresh then sent a photograph of Kalidas’s lifeless body to Poonam via WhatsApp. Following her instructions, he disposed of the body in the Balkum creek.
Poonam, in an attempt to avoid suspicion, filed a missing person complaint with Rabale police after returning from her village. However, investigators grew suspicious of inconsistencies in her account. A forensic examination of her WhatsApp chats revealed multiple exchanges with Suresh, discussing the murder plan and even including a photo of the victim.
When confronted, Suresh initially claimed Kalidas had fallen from the rickshaw while drunk and that he had left him near the creek. However, sustained interrogation and digital evidence led him to confess to the murder.
"We have booked the duo for murder and abduction with intent to kill. The search for Kalidas’s body is ongoing in the Balkum creek. We have cctv footages of the autorickshaw in which the body was being carried. The legs of the deceased is visible in the footage," senior police inspector Sunil Waghmare from Rabale MIDC police station said.
