The murder that never was

On January 7, Mahalaxmi was found at 8.30 pm by her husband Dayaram Mondan lying face-down on the kitchen floor next to a stool. Her husband had to force open the door after ringing the bell for a long longtime. The Malad police then got onto the case.

Situated on the fourth floor of Suraj Apartments at S V Road, Malad, the Mondans8217; residence is a two bedroom apartment, with the kitchen sandwiched between the bedrooms. The police found a cable wire lying next to Mahalaxmi, raising the suspicion that she had been strangulated. However, the autopsy report ruled out strangulation and stated that the injury on her head and excessive bleeding had caused her death.

The picture came clearer when police began checking for missing items. 8220;We found carelessly strewn wads of notes in Rs 500 and Rs 100 denominations in an open cupboard, which must have added up to over Rs 10 lakh. Another Rs 10 lakh was stored in the cupboard8217;s lower shelf, which too was unlocked. Some three lakh rupees in loose cash was scattered below the mattress,8221; Jadhav told Express Newsline.

The cupboard was also loaded with gold jewellery and ornaments as well as a heavy Ganesha idol. And Mahalaxmi8217;s body was adorned with four goldbangles, rings, earrings, a mangalsutra and a gold chain. However, when Dayaram, a moneylender and businessman, insisted that one box of jewellery was missing, the Malad police registered a case of robbery and murder. But the more the police probed, the more they seemed to be convinced that they did not have such a case on their hands. Mahalaxmi was reportedly a cautious woman, who never opened doors to strangers. She even spoke to neighbours and her husband8217;s friends through a grill installed in the door.

There were also no signs of forced entry. Nor was anybody seen entering or leaving the building on the day of her death. According to the watchman, he was at the gate when the couple had returned from the hospital just an hour before Mahalaxmi8217;s death. Dayaram had dropped Mahalaxmi at the building gate before heading off to the market.

The Mondans had no children. They also suffered from chronic illnesses like including blood pressure and diabetes. They had no enemies, but only a few relatives, said thepolice.

The police sum up the case thus: At the time of the incident, Mahalaxmi was alone at home. She climbed onto the school to remove something from the upper shelf. In the process, she lost her balance, injured her skull badly and died after bleeding profusely. Case closed.