‘Stabbed multiple times on head, neck, back and face’: Maharashtra woman kills former boyfriend’s wife

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A 43-year-old woman, armed with a sharp weapon and an air pistol , stormed a flat and brutally stabbed her former boyfriend's wife to death at Sai Shraddha Park at Bajajnagar in the industrial-residential neighbourhood of Waluj on Wednesday morning. Police said the crime stemmed from her earlier relationship with the victim's husband going sour over personal as well as monetary dispute.Police identified the victim as Sadhna Sonpethkar (42) and the assailant as Shaila Sonar, who separated from her husband in 2017 and stays with her two kids, including a 17-year-old son. She runs a small time business. The victim too is survived by two teenage kids and husband, Mahendra, who is an employee with an industrial house in MIDC Waluj area.The murder, which took place between 9.30am and 10am, sent shockwaves across thel neighbourhood due to the sheer brutality involved.Commissioner of Police Pravin Pawar said, "The accused woman in August 2024 had lodged a complaint accusing the victim's husband of sexually exploiting her on the pretext of marriage and financial cheating. A chargesheet has already been filed in the case. We are investigating as to what exactly triggered the violent crime today morning."The MIDC Waluj police officials said the accused entered the house and sat on the drawing room sofa, where she was confronted by the victim's 65-year-old mother-in-law Kesharbai, who questioned her presence and asked about her intentions. During the verbal exchange, the victim came into the room and also began questioning the woman, leading to a heated argument. In a sudden escalation, the accused allegedly pulled out an air pistol and placed it on the victim's head, triggering a scuffle inside the house, police said.Police said the weapon fell to the ground twice during the scuffle following which the elderly mother-in-law managed to pick it up and throw it out of a window to prevent its use. The mother-in-law told police in her complaint that the accused then took out a pepper spray and sprayed it on her and her daughter-in-law's face, temporarily incapacitating them.The complainant told police that taking advantage of the situation, the woman launched a frenzied knife attack on the victim, stabbing her multiple times on the head, neck, back and face. Officers said the assault was so severe that the victim's face was left disfigured.Hearing the commotion, the neighbours alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and found her hiding in the victim's flat situated on the first floor of the three storeyed building.The police found that the accused also sustained injuries during the attack, possibly while wielding the sharp weapon. "She has suffered deep cuts on both of her hands. She is currently undergoing treatment at a government medical college and hospital. We suspect that she came walking to the victim's flat and later latched it from inside, before going on the attacking spree. We are also checking the source of the sharp edged weapon, which is larger than the normal kitchen knife. Preliminary probe as well as the previously filed FIR indicates that the accused woman and victim's husband were in a relationship before things took a wrong turn between them," said DCP (zone-I) Pankaj Atulkar.He said that on learning about the incident, police teams rushed to the spot and immediately apprehended the accused. They recovered the knife used in the murder along with the suspected firearm from the premises."We did not find any signs of bullets being fired. The weapon was seized and on examination by experts, it has been concluded to be an air pistol. We are also investigsting the source of this air pistol, which looks like an original firearm," a police officer said.