A 34-year-old graphic designer allegedly killed his 28-year-old girlfriend by drowning her in a bucket of water at her Naigaon (district Palghar) home on August 9. His wife helped him stuff the body in a suitcase, and the two travelled on a scooter for over 150 kms. and dumped the dead body near a creek at Valsad in Gujarat. To avoid suspicion, the couple took along their two-year-old daughter.
Manohar Shukla was arrested from his Vasai (district Palghar) home on September 12 while his wife was arrested soon thereafter. The murder came to light during investigation in a missing person complaint filed by the victim’s sister in mid-August. During interrogation, Manohar said, he killed Bollywood hairstylist Naina Mahat, as she refused to withdraw two complaints — for rape and assault — filed against him in 2019.
Mahat and Shukla were neighbours at Vasai in 2013. They got into a relationship in 2014. In 2018, Manohar Shukla married Poornima but continued his relationship with Naina. The wife confronted her husband and his girlfriend in early 2019 after learning about the affair. In August 2019, Naina filed a case of rape, robbery and assault against Manohar, with the Valiv (Vasai) police. Days later, she filed a case of assault against the Shuklas at Virar police station.
On August 12, when Naina’s elder sister, Jaya, also a hairstylist, was unable to reach her, she approached the Naigaon police because Naina used to then stay at Suntech Complex at Naigaon (East). A missing person’s complaint was registered on August 14. CCTV footage showed Mahat and Manohar Shukla entering the premises on August 9. Thereafter, she was not seen leaving the building. Investigations revealed that on August 9, the two got into a fight around 10 a.m. when, in a fit of rage, Manohar dragged her by the hair to the bathroom and drowned her head in a bucket filled with water. After putting her on the bed, he left for work. CCTV footage showed him returning to the building twice during the day. Around 9.45 p.m., he returned to the building with his wife and daughter. They were seen leaving the building with a trolley bag. They then left on the scooter, with the bag placed between Manohar and Poornima. Their daughter was on Poornima’s lap.
The police said, after Shukla confessed to the murder, they contacted their counterparts at Valsad, who confirmed that a decomposed body was found near the creek last month. The body was identified as that of Naina Mahat, based on a tattoo.
In her complaint filed against the Shuklas on August 18, 2019, Naina said that they had called her to Virar the previous day. They travelled triple seat on the scooter, and on reaching the highway at Vasai, Poornima pushed her off the vehicle. Naina added that she fell down and sustained injuries even as Manohar assaulted her with stones. The Shuklas then rode away, the complaint stated.