Mumbai: Hours from flying to meet son, Goregaon couple found dead

Police and medical personnel at the scene of the incident

A couple, scheduled to fly to Delhi on Friday noon to meet their son, was found dead in Goregaon West under mysterious circumstances. The police had discovered the body of the woman in the bedroom of the flat, while her husband was found dead in the building premises on Friday. Based on preliminary findings, the police suspect that the man may have murdered his wife and later committed suicide.

The deceased were identified as Kishore Manohar Pednekar, 55 and Dr Rajshree Pednekar, a physiotherapist. The woman is said to be in her fifties. Goregaon police suspect Pednekar may have strangled his wife Rajshree in their flat on the third floor of the Topiwala building before committing suicide by jumping from the terrace of the five-storey building at 4 am.

Initially, no major visible injury marks were observed on Pednekar's body, leading the police to suspect that he might have consumed poison. However, CCTV footage from the building showed Pednekar falling to the ground. A medical examination confirmed that he died from head injuries. An officer explained that when Pednekar jumped from the terrace he didn't fall directly to the ground, instead, his body got caught in the branches of a tree close to the boundary wall of the Topiwala building. The branch broke due to his weight and he fell to the ground along with the broken tree branches, resulting in severe head and hand injuries.

"Relatives and neighbours revealed that Pednekar had been suffering from depression and was undergoing treatment for over two and a half years. He was a gym equipment supplier in Dahisar, while his wife ran a physiotherapy clinic on Link Road in Malad West. Pednekar, originally from Konkan, was known to be a short-tempered person. The couple's 23-year-old son resides in Delhi and works for a telecommunications company," said a police officer.

Before ending his life, Pednekar sent a message to his brother-in-law, providing his bank details and wanted his son to be made his nominee. In the message, he also stated that he was going to end his life. The brother-in-law informed the police that the couple was scheduled to fly to Delhi at 12.55 pm the same day to visit their son. A copy of the flight ticket and the message were found.

Under the guidance of deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Anand Bhoite, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Renuka Bagde, assistant police inspector (API) Sudarshan Patil and police sub-inspector (PSI) Ram Vaishnav are investigating what transpired between the couple that led to this tragic incident. Both bodies have been sent to Siddharth Hospital for post-mortem. The police have currently registered an Accidental Death Report.