Woman, child murdered at Malwani

MUMBAI, MARCH 31: A 25-year-old woman and a three-year-old girl were stabbed to death at Malvani early this morning. Both bodies were tied...

MUMBAI, MARCH 31: A 25-year-old woman and a three-year-old girl were stabbed to death at Malvani early this morning. Both bodies were tied together with a nylon rope and abandoned among the bushes at Aksa, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Malvani police.

The woman, who is yet to be identified, was wearing a pink salwar kameez and the child was clad in a red frock. The name Sunita’ had been tattoed on the woman’s right hand. While she had been stabbed 25 times all over her body, the child had been knifed four times.

The bodies, which were recovered from a isolated spot a short distance from Danapani Hotel on a well-beaten path leading to Dharodi village, were discovered by a local adivasi. Police suspect the murder had been committed in the wee hours of Friday. Dharodi is an isolated, sleepy hamlet with a population of 200 households. There are about 80 hutments in the picturesque location near Aksa beach.

Given its proximity to Aksa beach, there are several hotels with dubious reputations in the vicinity. This has encouraged illegal activities in the area, where there have been at least six murders in the last six months. Ironically, the police chowky in the vicinity has been abandoned.