Vile Parle physiotherapist murder: ‘Accused a Peeping Tom, entered victim’s home as it was unlocked’

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According to the police, Dhara noticed lights in the first-floor home of the deceased and climbed up, unnoticed by neighbours. “The door was open and the accused entered her home. When he saw the victim sleeping, he attempted to rape her,” Mishra said.

The woman, the police said, woke up when Dhara began to force himself on her and fought back. Mishra said Dhara then strangled her until she passed out. “The accused strangled the deceased with her jeans and after she was dead, raped her,” he said.

Describing the assault as “very brutal,” an officer said Dhara sodomised the victim with a hairbrush. Later, afraid he would be caught, he piled some clothes on top of her body, set them on fire with matches and fled, latching the door behind him.

The crime came to light when the fumes wafted into a neighbour’s home.

The Vile Parle police probed the murder along two lines — whether it had been committed by a person known to the woman or by someone who broke into her house, officers said. Mishra’s chart of suspects whittled out possible names among those who knew the woman. “We verified 400 to 500 criminals on record and went after each person who had left the area after the incident. But all of them had genuine reasons to return to their home states,” Mishra said.

The same line of questioning led the police to West Midnapore in West Bengal, where they had been told that Dhara, a worker in a jewellery shop close the woman’s house, had gone to live with his family. Dhara was brought to Mumbai on Tuesday, had his DNA sample taken and remanded in police custody for four days. On Friday, the FSL sent its report to the police.

“The accused confessed to the crime after two days in police custody. He was in Mumbai for a month after he committed the crime. But after we inquired with his employer and roommate, he was afraid we would question him next and fled to West Bengal,” Mishra said.