File photo of artist Hema Upadhyay and her husband Chintan Upadhyay.
A man arrested for the murders of artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harsh Bhambani, whose
bodies were found in boxes dumped in a drain in Mumbai, has purportedly admitted on camera that he killed the two.
"I stuffed a handkerchief in her mouth," Shiv Kumar Rajbhar, who was
arrested yesterday from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, is heard saying from a police van.
He also names an accomplice, Vidyadhar Rajbhar.
Three more persons were arrested in Mumbai for the murders. Vijay Rajbhar, Pradeep Rajbhar and Azad Rajbhar will be in police custody till Saturday.
Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer were missing since Friday. Their bodies were found on Saturday night, with hands and feet tied, wrapped in plastic sheets and packed tight in cardboard boxes. They were dumped in a drain in the city's Kandivali suburb.
Shiv Kumar Rajbhar was arrested by the Special Task Force yesterday with 20 debit cards, nine of which belonged to Hema Upadhyay and Harsh Bhambani.
He is heard telling reporters that he used to "make statues in Rampur." He is being taken to Mumbai.
The police are yet to establish a motive behind the murders; they are exploring a financial angle.
Hema's estranged husband, artist Chintan Upadhyay, is being questioned by the Mumbai police. She had filed a harassment case against her husband. Harsh Bhambani, 65, was representing her in the case.
Ms Upadhyay, 43, had got married to Chintan Upadhyay in 1998. In 2010, they filed for divorce.
The harassment case was filed two years ago. In her complaint to the police, Ms Upadhyay had accused Chintan Upadhyay of painting obscene sketches on the walls of her room in their Mumbai apartment.
A well-known artist, Ms Upadhyay had exhibited her works at shows in China, Australia, France, Israel and Japan.