Maharashtra: 30-year-old man held in Badlapur for killing friend who sexually harassed his wife

The accused in police custody. Pic/ Navneer Barhate

A 30-year-old man has been arrested by the Badlapur Police in Thane district of Maharashtra for allegedly killing his 29-year-old friend, who was allegedly sexually harassing and raping his wife, the police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the incident involved two friends, Narendra and Suresh (names changed to protect the identity of the woman), both from Badlapur, who had known each other for several years.

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On January 11, Narendra contacted the Badlapur Police to report Suresh's "accidental death," claiming that Suresh had slipped and fallen outside the bathroom, resulting in head injuries. Suresh was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead before arrival, said an official.

The police said, In accordance with standard operating procedure, the body was sent for a postmortem examination. The postmortem report revealed that the injury on Suresh's head was not caused by a fall, but by a blow from a heavy sharp object. As a result, the initially registered accidental death report (ADR) was converted into an FIR.

Upon investigation, police found that it was Narendra, the same person who had reported Suresh's "accidental death," who had murdered him. During the search, a hammer was found with Narendra's fingerprints, which matched the injury marks on Suresh's skull, confirming that Narendra was the murderer, the police said.

During Narendra's interrogation after his arrest, he disclosed the motive behind murdering his friend.

He revealed that Suresh had been repeatedly raping his wife and had threatened her to remain silent, warning that he would kill her if she spoke out. Fearing for her life, Narendra's wife allegedly endured the sexual abuse on multiple occasions. However, after some time, she eventually confided in her husband about the horrific ordeal, the official said.

Narendra then allegedly began to plan to kill Suresh.

On January 10, the day before Suresh's death, he invited him to his house while his wife was away. The two drank alcohol from the afternoon until night. Minutes before midnight, when Suresh was about to fall asleep, Narendra struck him on the head with a hammer. To avoid being implicated in a police case, he fabricated a story and reported that Suresh had accidentally died, the official said.

The incident was confirmed by Kiran Balwadkar, senior police inspector of Badlapur police station, who added that Narendra has been arrested and is in police custody.