Police in Hyderabad say the woman's murder plot was hatched from adultery and sexual jealousy.
A family from Bihar has been arrested for the sensational murder that shocked Hyderabad two weeks ago, when the dismembered body of a pregnant woman was found near the city's Botanical Gardens. The police now say it was a plot hatched from adultery and sexual jealousy, one that can rival a Bollywood thriller.
Though there was no clue to identify the woman, the police cracked the case on basis of CCTV footage. The grainy video showed a bike that had stopped for eight seconds at the spot to dump the bags which contained the body parts. Tracking the vehicle through multiple cameras across the city, the police finally zeroed in on a clear image of the number plate. The rider was a man wearing a blue T-shirt, on pillion was a woman carrying a backpack, both of whom were identified later.
Police said the murdered woman was 32-year-old Pinky, who had left her husband and two children in Bihar and came to live with Vikas Kashyap, a man she had a relationship with, the police said. She had also brought her second son, 8-year-old Jatin, along with her when she came six weeks ago.
Pinky and Vikas had been residents of Mohana Malti village in Bihar. But eight months ago, Vikas Kashyap came to Hyderabad in search of work and took up lodgings with a family he knew -- Anil and Mamata Jha, and their son Amarkanth.
Mamata Jha, the police said, had been married at the age of 15 to Anil Jha, who was more than double her age. She soon started having an affair with Vikas Kashyap.
The arrival of Pinky and her son created tension. It added not just to the family's financial burden, but also triggered rivalry between the two women. It acquired an edge after Pinky found that Vikas Kashyap handed over his earnings to Mamata Jha and not to her, the police said.
Mamata Jha, who also wanted the help of Vikas Kashyap to recovered 3 acres of land she owned in Bihar, finally decided to do away with Pinky, the police said. It is not clear why the rest of her family aided her.
Senior police officer Sandeep Shandilya said forensic reports revealed that Pinky was pushed to the ground, hit on the stomach and back, which had crushed her uterus. The body was kept at home for a day before Amarkant Jha brought electric saws to chop it up for easy disposal, the police said. The dismemberment was done in the bathroom and after packing the body parts in two bags - gunny and plastic - the mother and son dumped them on the road, the officer added.
"What is strange is that they did not harm Pinky's son. They were looking after him even after they killed his mother,'' said Mr Shandilya.
Mamata Jha and her husband Anil Jha have been arrested. Amarkant Jha, who had fled to Bihar, has been arrested as well. Vikas Kashyap is still absconding.