Mahim murder case: Final jigsaw piece falls in place

Bag containing Rebello's hand and leg found in the Mithi riverbed

The Crime Branch on Friday morning located the final piece in the puzzle that is Bennett Rebello's murder. Rebello's torso with his head intact was recovered from Prabhadevi beach and later identified by his brother. A three-inch metallic rod inserted in his right hip a few years ago helped confirm his identity.

A Metallic rod was inserted near Rebello's right hip a few years ago. The limbless torso bore the same three-inch metallic rod. Also, there are over half-a-dozen stab wounds, mostly on his abdomen which could have punctured his kidney and on the head," said a Crime Branch officer, who added, "We have recovered seven pieces of Rebello's body parts so far. The only piece remaining is his thigh." All body parts are being kept at Sion hospital where DNA tests will be conducted to confirm Rebello's identity.

Bennett Rebello

It has also been revealed that the killer duo chopped Rebello's body in the bathroom of his Vakola residence. "The killers had cleaned the floor of the bathroom but traces of blood were found on the walls. Blood-stained clothes, which were used to wipe the walls and floor of the bathroom have also been recovered from the crime scene. In addition, traces of blood were also found on the keyboard of a musical instrument," said the Crime Branch officer.

"We have enough pieces of evidence to nail the accused duo in a court of law," the officer added. The Crime Branch has also recovered the minor accused's mobile phone, while Aradhya Patil alias Ria did not have one, the officer said. At the time of going to press, the statement of Mahek, the woman who used to live with Rebello before Aradhya moved in and also introduced the two, was being recorded at Crime Branch Unit V. A senior Crime Branch official confirmed the same but refused to divulge the grounds on which her statement was being recorded. The investigating team has not ruled out a property angle. "We are keeping both property and sexual abuse angles in the picture while probing the case.

Aradhya and her boyfriend at Holy Cross Medical in Vakola

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No. of pieces of Bennett's body recovered

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