Wife, lover chop husband into 3 pieces, dump body in forest; caught after 11 months
For 11 months, a Navi Mumbai man was believed to have vanished without a trace. Police now say he never disappeared. His wife and her
For 11 months, a Navi Mumbai man was believed to have vanished without a trace. Police now say he never disappeared. His wife and her alleged lover allegedly strangled him, chopped his body into three pieces and dumped the remains in a forest. Police said the case remained buried until the victim's brother filed a missing person complaint in April 2026. Investigators then analysed call records, tracked changes in mobile numbers and questioned the accused, eventually unravelling the alleged murder plot. Read Full Story The accused have been identified as Sunita Kushwaha (40) and her alleged lover Rahul Dashrath Prajapati (30). Both were arrested by the Rabale MIDC Police and produced before a local court, which remanded them to seven days of police custody.
According to police, the victim, Baliram Suryanath Kushwaha (50), had objected to the alleged affair between his wife and Prajapati. Investigators believe the duo then conspired to eliminate him. Police said that on the night of August 9, 2025, the couple first sent Baliram's two children to their maternal aunt's house. After he fell asleep, they allegedly strangled him to death before using a sharp weapon to sever his head and dismember the body into three pieces. To destroy evidence, the accused allegedly wrapped the body parts separately in sacks and bedsheets and transported them in Prajapati's autorickshaw. The remains were then dumped at three different locations in the Gavli Dev hill forest on the outskirts of Navi Mumbai.
After the murder, Sunita allegedly shifted to Ghansoli with her children and started living with Prajapati. The two allegedly told relatives and neighbours that Baliram had left home, allowing the crime to remain hidden for nearly a year. "I have been living here for six months. It has been eight-nine or people are saying around 11 months since this happened. I don’t know much about the victim, but people are saying that he was a good man. But he was killed due to his wife’s illicit relationship with a man. I don’t know too much about it", Neetu, a neighbour told the media. The breakthrough in the case came after Baliram's brother grew suspicious over his prolonged disappearance and lodged a missing person complaint.
During the investigation, police found inconsistencies in the accused's statements and examined call detail records and changes in their mobile numbers. Sustained interrogation eventually led the duo to allegedly confess to the crime. Police are now conducting a search operation in the Gavli Dev forest to recover Baliram's skeletal remains and other evidence. Further investigation into the case is underway. Ends
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