Residents' habit of keeping flat doors closed in Rasta Peth building where Jayanti Chajed was murdered made it easy for killers as victim's screams could not be heard by neighbours
Residents' habit of keeping flat doors closed in Rasta Peth building where Jayanti Chajed was murdered made it easy for killers as victim's screams could not be heard by neighbours
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| Gruesome: Police at Jayanti Nagraj Chajed's residence in Rasta Peth where she was found murdered yesterday. Pic/Nikhil Ghorpade |
Like any other day, housewife Ashwini Uplenchwar stepped out yesterday afternoon to buy vegetables after finishing her daily chores. Little did she know that behind the closed door of the flat opposite hers, two young men were slitting the throat of her elderly neighbour.
Uplenchwar's neighbour Jayanti Nagraj Chajed (55) was found murdered in her flat in Rasta Peth around 3 pm
yesterday.
The police believe robbery of valuables kept in the flat was the motive behind the murder. They suspect two employees at the Chajeds' store Nagraj Jewellers in Govind Halwai chowk. The police identified the suspects as Mahendra Rajput and Bharat Gehlot, both in their early twenties.
The Chajeds and Uplenchwars have their respective flats on the fourth floor of Shubham Apartments, and both families were in the habit of always keeping their doors closed for security reasons. And this habit is precisely what prevented Jayanti's screams from being heard by her neighbhours.
"We knew each other for the past four years. The Chajeds are a good family. But we both usually had our flats doors closed and locked," said Ashwini. "I had gone out in the market around 1pm, but I didn't hear any noise or screams from the Chajeds' flat. It was just another day for me as our families hardly ever interacted. I really don't know much about the murder."
Police sources said that the manner in which Jayanti was murdered showed that she must have tried to show put up some resistance.
"She must have screamed aloud for help but in vain ufffd because the doors of the flats in the apartment building were all closed," said a source. "This habit of keeping doors closed always may have helped the attackers as they could commit the crime and also slip away unnoticed."
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Rajesh Kumar Mor said Jayanti's murder was discovered by her husband Nagraj.
"Jayanti's murder came to light only when her husband Nagraj returned home in the afternoon and found that the door lock was not in place. When he entered the flat, he saw her lying in a pool of blood," said Mor. "Dinesh Parekh, one of his neighbours, then called the police control room and informed them about the incident."
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anant Rokde said Nagraj had asked one of the suspects to his home on an errand late in the morning.
"Nagraj had asked Gehlot around 11am to go to his flat and get his spectacles. The distance between the house and shop was only about 15 minutes, but Gehlot returned only at 12.30 pm," said Rokde. "After that Nagraj went home and found Jayanti in a pool of blood. This has made us suspect Gehlot, who is missing along with Rajput after the murder."
