Mumbai: 3 years on, charges framed against murdered salon exec’s 2 colleagues

Mumbai: Three years after the death of 28-year-old salon executive Kirti Vyas, a sessions court on Thursday framed charges against two of her colleagues for several offences, including murder, kidnapping and destruction of evidence. Vyas’s body was never found. Both the accused, Khushi Sahjwani (46) and Siddesh Tamhankar (42), pleaded not guilty, paving the way for the trial to commence against them.The maximum punishment attracted in the case is the death sentence.
Vyas, a resident of Grant Road who worked for BBlunt Salon in Andheri, went missing on March 16, 2018. The alleged couple was arrested in connection with the murder on May 5, 2018. A police inquiry unearthed that the duo allegedly dumped her body at Mahul. A prolonged search for the body did not yield results.
While Sahjwani, mother to a teenage son, was granted bail by the Supreme Court on July 2 this year, Tamhankar is still in jail. His repeated pleas for bail have been rejected by the court.
While granting Sahjwani bail, the apex court had said, “Considering the fact that the petitioner is a female undertrial prisoner, who has been in custody for more than three years...and considering the family situation of the petitioner, the petitioner is directed to be released on bail...” The court also noted the chargesheet was submitted in July 2018.
During Thursday’s proceedings before the sessions court, the duo initially refused to sign their respective pleas. Later, Sahjwani filed an application through her advocate Wahab Khan stating she be permitted to sign the plea with an undertaking that she would cooperate for the smooth and day-to-day progress of the trial. The court allowed her plea.
The court said since Tamhankar has been in jail for over three years, the prosecution should take every step to begin the trial and examine witnesses as early as possible. It adjourned the matter to Friday.
The chargesheet said Vyas was killed as the duo feared she would blow the lid off their illicit relationship. It was further alleged Tamhankar, a Parel resident, was also afraid he would lose his job as Vyas had given him a memo and March 16, the day she went missing, was the last day of the notice. Cops submitted forensic reports and said circumstantial evidence supported their theory.