56-year-old Manoj Ramesh Sane, who is accused of the brutal murder of his live-in partner 32-year-old Saraswati Vaidya, in Mumbai’s Mira Road, reportedly claimed that he is HIV positive and denied ever having a physical relationship with her. He claimed that she was like a daughter to him.
He is charged with murdering Saraswati Vaidya, dismembering the body with an electric tree cutter, and disposing of the pieces by boiling them in a pressure cooker and roasted them on gas so he can dispose of them easily. He sliced the pieces so small that police could not even count them and stored them in a bucket, tub, stove, and other kitchen containers.
The duo have known each other since 2014 but started living together at the Mira Road flat for the past three years. He informed the authorities that he first met her 16 years ago while working at a ration store.
Additionally, he claimed that she committed suicide. He further claimed that attempted to dispose of the body because he was worried about being indicted of murder. He then allegedly intended to commit suicide, the officer revealed. Details of his statements made during the interrogation are being verified, according to the officer who went to the scene on Wednesday night after learning of the tragedy.
He has been charged under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (evidence destruction) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the First Information Report (FIR). He has been placed in police custody till June 16 after being presented before a Thane court, per Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jayant Bajbale of zone-1, Mira-Bhayander Vasai Virar police.
“During the preliminary inquiry, Sane told police that in 2008 he discovered that he was HIV positive. Since then, he has been on medication. He said that he suspects he contracted the disease due to the use of infected blood during his treatment a long time ago after he had met with an accident,” the senior official unveiled.
The victim was quite possessive and believed he was cheating on her every time he arrived home late, the officer mentioned, which was in line with his statement to the police. The officer quoted from his admission made during questioning and commented that she was preparing for the Class 10 Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations and that he was teaching her maths. The officer pointed out to have discovered a board with arithmetic calculations scrawled on it on one of the walls of the seventh-floor apartment.
The perpetrator explained to the authorities that he spotted Saraswati Vaidya on the morning of June 3 lying on the floor of their flat with froth coming from her mouth. He added that she was dead when he checked her pulse and opted to get rid of the body because he was worried about the action against him.
He also admitted to having an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) qualification but has been working at a Public Distribution System (PDS) store for the past 10 years since he was unable to get an appropriate job. The top cop noted that Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy Hospital has received the body fragments removed from the kitchen for forensic examination.
Notably, Saraswati Vaidya was described as an orphan by the police on Thursday. Her three sisters, however, went to the Naya Nagar Police station on Friday to provide testimonies.
32-year-old woman, Saraswati Vaidya killed by 56-year-old live-in partner Manoj Sane | Accused was brought to Naya Nagar Police Station today. He is being questioned by senior officials of Naya Nagar Police Station. Sister of the deceased has also come to the Police Station.… https://t.co/Vfx2m37zN5 pic.twitter.com/0TpYIIL2IQ
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2023
The DCP divulged that the police team had identified the deceased’s family and her sisters confirmed that she was in fact their sibling. “We are now working to match the DNA of the three sisters with the dead body while the procedure of handing it over is underway. We learned through the investigation that the pair was married at a temple and they had also told her sisters about it. However, due to their age disparity, they kept this knowledge from others.”
#WATCH | "32-year-old woman, Saraswati Vaidya killed by 56-year-old live-in partner Manoj Sane |…" During the investigation, we have found out that the victim and accused were married and they had informed this to the victim's sisters also, they hid this from the others because… pic.twitter.com/vlpXvWq5qF
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2023
Police are attempting to identify which body parts are missing with the aid of medical professionals. They’ve seized the electric cutter.
Police believed that the crime occurred earlier but it came to light when neighbours complained about a bad odour coming from the couple’s flat on Wednesday. When the police were notified about the same, they forced through the door to the apartment and located the woman’s body in the kitchen, cut to pieces.
Manoj Sane went back to his house in the evening, unaware of the police presence. An officer proclaimed that he was captured while attempting to flee. A senior official highlighted that the man had shown no remorse during his interrogation.
