Suspecting wife of having affair, Pune man kills her, burns body to destroy evidence 

Police said Samir, who runs a garage and also works as a fabricator, married Anjali (38), a private school teacher, in 2017. Originally from Amravati, he lived in Shivane with his wife, two children and mother.

On October 28, Samir approached Warje police station claiming that Anjali had gone missing after stepping out around 2.15pm on October 26 to “meet a friend.” He repeatedly visited the police station for updates.

Police sub-inspectors Sanjay Narale and Nitin Gaikwad began reviewing CCTV footage. The visuals showed Anjali leaving home with Samir on October 26 and the two travelling together. When questioned, Samir did not give satisfactory answers. During sustained interrogation, he admitted to killing his wife, said senior police inspector Vishwajeet Kaingade.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3) Sambhaji Kadam said, “A prima-facie probe has revealed that Samir was having an extra marital affair. But he said that his wife was having an affair with another man, which led to frequent quarrels between them over the last one-and-a-half years.”

During the interrogation, Samir claimed he had seen “objectionable chats” on Anjali’s phone. However, DCP Kadam said the investigation showed that Samir himself had travelled to Hyderabad last month and sent his wife an “I love you” message from a friend’s phone. When Anjali replied “I love you too” to the same number, he used it as “proof” of an alleged affair.

“Probe revealed that in the last four months, the accused watched the movie Drishyam about four times. He then decided to kill his wife and destroy the evidence—as has been shown in the movie—by disposing of her body,” DCP Kadam said.

About a month before the killing, Samir rented a godown at Shindewadi near Gogalwadi Phata, around 25km from Pune, for Rs 18,000 per month. “Samir had good knowledge of iron fabrication work. He used it for setting up a fabrication kiln at the godown. He purchased about two gunny bags of wood from Karve Nagar and kept it at the godown, along with some fuel,” Kadam added.

Police said that on the morning of October 26, Samir took Anjali out in a car, telling her they were going for an outing. The couple travelled from Shivane to Khed Shivapur via Navale Bridge on the Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway. On the way back, he bought bhel from a hotel in Shindewadi hotel and took her to the godown.

“Here, as they sat together and had bhel, Samir allegedly strangulated his wife around 10pm. He then burnt her body in the fabrication kiln using wood and fuel that was already kept ready. In the early hours of October 27, he threw the ashes in a river and dismantled the brick kiln,” Kadam said.

Senior inspector Kaingade said the murder was meticulously planned. “He not only disposed his wife’s body but also washed the crime scene to destroy evidence. We suspect he purposely sent his mother and children to a family member and then murdered his wife. Clues obtained from technical investigation solved the case.”

An FIR has been registered at Warje police station against Samir under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The case has been transferred to Rajgad police station for further investigation.