A 55-year-old woman, who worked as a domestic help, was killed by her 23-year-old tenant neighbor during a robbery attempt in south Mumbai’s Malabar Hill area, police said on Sunday.
They said that the accused Khaif Sheikh (23), who claimed to have suffered losses in the stock market, and the victim Jyoti Pawar live in Shimla Nagar area.
The incident came to light on Saturday morning when Pawar failed to show up for work. Her employer informed her daughter, who lives in Borivali in the western suburbs.
After repeatedly knocking on the house without an answer, the daughter, with the help of local residents, forced open the door and found Pawar dead inside.
Details of the preliminary investigation
Initial investigations indicated that the woman was strangled to death, following which a murder case was filed.
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During the investigation, police analyzed CCTV footage, collected technical evidence and interrogated local residents, which led to Sheikh’s arrest, an official said.
The police said that the accused suffered huge losses in the stock market. The official told police that he went to the victim’s house with the intention of stealing her gold chain.
He added that when Pawar resisted and raised the alarm, Sheikh strangled her to death and fled with her gold chain and mobile phone.
The official added that police are also investigating whether anyone else was involved in the crime.
