Girl said she pretended to be asleep, as she feared that her father would harm her too if he knew she was watching; cops say the couple fought often as the man suspected his wife of having an extramarital affair
Monday midnight turned out to be a nightmare for nine-year-old Samiksha, as she helplessly watched her father first kill her mother and then commit suicide. Samiksha told the police that she pretended she was asleep as she was afraid that her father would harm her as well if he knew she was watching.
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Samiksha with her younger brother Yuvraj. Pic/Swarali Purohit
The tragic incident occurred on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, after 37-year-old Nitin Pundkar slit his wife Surekha’s throat and ended his life by hanging from the ceiling using Surekha’s dupatta at their Kandivli (East) residence. The deceased couple has two children, Samiksha and Yuvraj (7).
Nitin Pundkar killed himself and his wife Surekha
An officer from Samta Nagar police station said the couple fought often, as Nitn suspected Surekha of having an extramarital affair.
“They were identified as Nitin and Surekha Pundkar, residents of Milind Vikas Sahkari Gruh Nirman Sanstha Society in Hanuman Nagar. The Pundkars, who hail from Amravati, had been living on rent in the society for the last two years. They got married in 2007 and had been renting apartments across Mumbai ever since. Nitin worked as a driving instructor for Sai Motor Training School in Thakur village.”
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Cops believe the murder and the suicide occurred on the intervening night because Nitin’s sister, Uma, was present at Pundkar residence on Monday till 11 pm.
“I regularly visit their house to meet the kids and was there last night as well. Surekha said she wanted to spend the night at my residence, but Nitin refused to let her go. I told them not to fight and returned home,” Uma said.
At 9.30 am yesterday, Samiksha ran to Uma’s house and narrated the horrors she had witnessed the previous night.
“I was shocked by Samiksha’s revelation. When we rushed to her house, we saw Surekha’s body lying in pool of blood on the floor, while Nitin’s was hanging from the ceiling. By then the neighbours and locals gathered outside the house and someone informed the police,” she added.
Narrating the incident to the police, Samiksha said, “I was fast asleep. But when I woke up, I saw that papa was sitting on mummy’s chest and had covered her face with a pillow. He then removed the pillow and slit her throat with a knife. Later, papa made a rope using mummy’s saree and tried to hang himself from the ceiling. But the saree tore and he fell down. He then used her duppatta and hanged himself. I was so scared that I couldn’t even muster the courage to shout for help. I don’t remember when did I fell actually asleep while pretending to do so. The first thing I did after waking up in the morning was to inform Uma aunty.”
Cop speak
Senior Inspector Dilip Yadav from Samta Nagar police station said “We reached the spot immediately and despatched the bodies to Bhagwati hospital for autopsy. Prima facie investigation revealed that Surekha’s her throat was slit using a kitchen knife, while Nitin died due to hanging. We also learnt that Nitin would often thrash Surekha after drinking, as he suspected her of having an extramarital affair. We have registered a case under Sections 302 (murder) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the IPC.”
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