Mumbai: Woman’s corpse wrapped in cloth found inside bed; husband missing

From (R-L) Deceased nephew, elder sister in middle and relatives left

A man allegedly killed his wife and absconded, hiding her body inside a boxed bed at their residence in Motilal Nagar, Goregaon West.

The deceased has been identified as Ragini Sonu Sawardekar, 63, a resident of Chawl No. 279, Room No. 2211, opposite Vibgyor School, Motilal Nagar, Goregaon West.

According to police sources, neighbours alerted authorities after a foul smell began emanating from the house on Wednesday. Despite an initial search, the body was not immediately found. However, upon opening and inspecting a boxed iron bed, police discovered the woman's body wrapped in cloth. After conducting a panchnama, the body was sent to Siddharth Hospital for post-mortem.

According to police sources, Ragini lived with her mother before her marriage. She worked as a house help and, after her mother's death, used her savings to construct additional rooms and shops on the same property, which she later rented out. She survived on the rental income.

During this time, she met Pratap Paramchand Baskoti, 65, who claimed to work in the film industry. He was a friend of one of her tenants and would frequently visit her house. Their acquaintance turned into a relationship, and the two married around 2011-2012. Since then, Baskoti had been living with her in the same house.

Her nephew, Nitin Ambekar, told mid-day, "Since childhood, we frequently visited Ragini aunty's house, which is why her neighbours knew us well. They also had our mobile numbers, so they could contact us if there was any problem or emergency. That's how we were always kept in the loop."

He added, "All of us in the family were upset about Ragini aunty's marriage to Baskoti. For several months, no one spoke to her about it, but eventually, we accepted that it was her decision and resumed communication."

According to the family, a neighbour called them on Sunday and informed them that Ragini's husband had left the house that morning, saying they were both going to town.

"Later, we received another call saying the neighbours had alerted the police due to a foul smell. The police arrived, searched the house, and eventually discovered Ragini aunty's body wrapped in cloth and hidden inside an iron bed," Nitin said.

Baskoti is currently absconding, and his mobile phone remains switched off.

The family claims they don't know much about Baskoti, and Ragini herself never shared many details. He was reportedly already married and originally from Uttar Pradesh. Based on what Ragini had told them, she had once travelled to his native village and got down at Raebareli station.

Nitin said that three months ago, there was a theft at Ragini's house. All of Ragini's and her late mother's jewellery was stolen. She had lodged a complaint with the Goregaon police. During the investigation, police found no signs of forced entry - no broken locks or doors - suggesting the theft was likely an inside job. The family believes that when Ragini later realised Baskoti might have been behind the theft, a conflict could have broken out between them.

Nitin also revealed, "Baskoti never worked. He just sat at home he bought a car and used to drive in Ola, Uber for a couple of months eventually selling the car, and sitting at home not contributing anything."

The Goregaon Police, under the guidance of DCP Anand Bhoite (Zone 11) and Senior Police Inspector Madhusudan Naik, have launched a manhunt for the accused.