Woman found strangled in bed cabinet at home in Goregaon; partner missing

MUMBAI: A 63-year-old woman was found dead in the cabinet of an iron bed at her Goregaon home on Wednesday. Her 65-year-old partner, who is missing, has emerged as the prime suspect in the murder case.Ragini Savardekar, the victim, had died of strangulation, post-mortem reports disclosed on Thursday. Police are looking for her partner, Pradeep Baskoti, who left their house three days ago. Savardekar used to live with her elderly mother at Motilal Nagar in Goregaon. Around 14 years ago, she met Baskoti. Relatives said that Baskoti was married and had children, but he tied the knot with Savardekar without legally separating from his wife. "We were not happy with the match and distanced ourselves from the couple," said a relative. A few years ago, Savardekar's mother passed away. On Wednesday, Savardekar's nephew, Nitin Ambekar, got a phone call from his aunt's neighbour. Baskoti had visited the neighbour's house on May 5 and left his house keys with him. He told the neighbour that he and his wife were leaving for south Mumbai. But their cellphones were switched off thereafter and the neighbour was very concerned. Later the same evening, other residents decided to call the local police to check the couple's residence. They also informed Ambekar who rushed to Goregaon. The police opened the house and found Savardekar unconscious inside the cabinet of an iron bed. She was rushed in an ambulance to the Trauma Care Hospital at Jogeshwari, accompanied by her relatives. Doctors pronounced her dead soon after. "The couple had domestic arguments, but we were not aware of any major dispute," said Ambekar. He added that for a few years, Baskoti had partnered with an app cab service and ferried passengers in his car. Currently, he was not employed. Savardekar owned property and relatives have demanded that the police investigate whether it could have been a motive behind the killing. A relative also said that Savardekar's jewellery had been stolen from her house a few months ago, but the thief was never traced. "My aunt would have put up a tough fight, when there was an attempt made on her life. She would also have raised an alarm. But as none of the neighbours heard any commotion, I wonder if there was more than one assailant involved in the murder. We will ask the police to investigate," said Ambekar. DCP Anand Bhoite said that a case of murder had been registered and police were looking for Baskoti. Crime branch is also conducting a parallel investigation.