Man gets life term for murdering wife

According to the prosecution,Shivdasani,an event manager and a real estate agent,met Payal through a matrimonial website a couple of years ago. He had posed as a bachelor and a well-to-do hotelier however he was a divorcee who had married in 2004. Without informing Payal about his previous marriage,he had a secret registered marriage with her in January 2007. In July 2007 he married another woman whom he had met through the same website. Suspecting Shivdasani,Payal employed a private detective and came to know of his marriages. She filed a case of cheating against Shivdasani at the Juhu police station and filed a divorce petition in the family court on grounds that he was demanding money. She had also threatened to expose him.

On April 5,2008,Shivdasani called Payal to his sister’s unoccupied flat. The two had a fight after which Shivdasani stabbed her twice with a dagger and strangulated her with a dupatta.

He then fled to Kolhapur and later to Pune. He allegedly attempted suicide by consuming sleeping pills. Shah said,“In court we argued that though the accused may be remorseful for his acts but the crime committed by him was of serious nature and could not be overlooked”.