WIFE, SISTER-IN-LAW HELD FOR BANKER’S MURDER

WIFE, SISTER-IN-LAW HELD FOR BANKER’S MURDER

Sister-in-law’s boyfriend has also been arrested for the murder of Prakash Wankhede last year; cops suspect that her husband, who is missing, has also been killed in similar manner.

After discovering the body of a retired bank manager in the forests of Parner in Ahmednagar, last year, The Charkop police have arrested his wife, sister-in-law and her boyfriend in connection with the crime.

According to the police, the victim, 62-year-old Prakash Wankhede who worked with SBI, had gone missing last April. Hs wife, Asha, 56, had lodged a missing complaint with the Charkop police nearly half a month later.

Meanwhile, the Ahmednagar police had found a body that had dumped in the Parner woods. The cops could not immediately identify it, but did lodge a case of murder.

After conducting investigations for a time, they abandoned the probe when they could not find any substantial leads in the case.

A few days ago, the Charkop police received a tip-off that Wankhede was missing because he had been murdered by his wife. The cops launched a probe afresh into the old case and found out that Wankhede had gone to Ahmednagar with his wife, sister-in-law and other family members for a function but never returned home.

When Asha lodged a missing complaint, she hid this fact from the police. When the police called her in for questioning, they confronted her about the trip, telling her mobile locations pinned her to the site so she could not deny the facts.

The police said that Asha broke down and confessed that she had killed her husband with the help of her sister, Vandana Thorve, 40, and her boyfriend, Nilesh Supekar, 32.

The police officials said that in her statement to them, she said she first poisoned his food and when he collapsed, Nilesh hit him on his head with an iron road. Later, the three accused took his body to a forest, about 20 km from Ahmednagar, to dump it. She also told the police that Wankhede used to harass her and beat her up, especially after he retired from the bank.

A fortnight later, Asha approached the police and told the cops that her husband had been missing.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Vikram Deshmane (Zone XI) said, “The accused trio has been arrested and handed over to the Ahmednagar police. Further investigations are under way.”

The police said that Wankhede’s sister-in-law, Vandana, who is in a relationship with Supekar, is married but her husband had also gone missing about a year ago. The Ahmednagar police said they suspect that he may have been killed in a similar manner.

MumbaiMirror