The focus of the probe shifted to Chintan Upadhyay after Hema's relatives alleged that he had a role in the murder. (Press Trust of India file photo)
Two days after questioning artist Chintan Upadhyay, Mumbai police sources said he had planned the murder of his estranged wife Hema and her lawyer Harish Bhambani and prepared "detailed story boards" for his hired killers to follow. The motive, they said, was to put an end to her increasing demand for alimony.
Hema, an installation artist, had married Chintan Upadhyay in 1998. They started divorce proceedings in 2010.
Police said Chintan, who confessed to the murder, claimed that Hema, 43, was demanding that he pay her Rs 1lakh per month. The killers he hired had asked for Rs22 lakh.
The story boards, which showed the murder plan through detailed drawings, are yet to be recovered.
The bodies - which bore multiple injuries - were wrapped in plastic and packed in boxes and dumped in a drain on Mumbai's Kandivali area. They were recovered on December 11, a day after the two were reported to be missing.
The police had arrested five men in the case, who reportedly claimed that the artist was murdered over a financial dispute. But the man who allegedly led them, Vidyadhar Rajbhar, is yet to be arrested.
The focus of the probe shifted to Chintan Upadhyay after Hema's relatives alleged that he had a role in the murder. Hema's cousin Deepak Prasad had revealed that Chintan had threatened to kill Hema and Vidhyadhar Rajbhar was his close associate.
The artist was called in for questioning late on Monday night and was formally arrested at 3.30 am on Tuesday.
Initially he claimed that though he and his wife were estranged, he finally confessed to masterminding the murder, sources said.
Investigation revealed Hema received a call from arrested accused Pradeep Rajbhar's phone on the day of the murder. But Pradeep claimed Vidyadhar had called from his cellphone to lay a false trail, police sources said.