Severed head of woman found in suitcase near Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway

Area in Virar Phata where the body was dumped. Pics/Hanif Patel

A highly decomposed severed head of a woman was found inside a suitcase that was dumped in a dense bush near Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway at Virar Phata on Thursday late evening. The torso is yet to be discovered.

Since the head was severely decomposed and infested with maggots, making facial recognition nearly impossible, the doctors have recommended for ‘superimposition of the skull' to create a clearer image of the individual's appearance, aiding in the identification process.

The identity of the woman is yet to be established, however, the cops suspect that she hailed from West Bengal. "The torso has been deliberately disposed to delay the investigation. The killer could be anyone like a jilted lover, business rival, someone having a hidden grudge, etc. It seems that it was a cold-blooded revenge-driven murder," said a police officer.

Cops gather evidence from area

A team of medical officers, including Dr Anant Kulkarni and Dr Balasaheb Jadhav, who conducted a post-mortem of the skull on Friday, told mid-day that the severed head will be sent to either KEM Hospital or BYL Nair Hospital for superimposition of skull. "The examination revealed no head injury, and remarkably, the dentures were still in place, indicating that the individual had not suffered any trauma to the jaw or mouth area," said Dr Jadhav.

"The cause of death could not be ascertained as the torso is yet to be found, but she certainly did not die due to head injury as her skull was intact. There was no neck, only skull," Dr Kulkarni said. ‘"Looking at the condition of the skull, the possibility is very high that she was beheaded using a sharp-edged object only after she was killed because the cut was uniform," Dr Kulkarni said.

Age analysis and DNA

The investigators have preserved the DNA to match with the torso when it is discovered, and the tooth has been sent for detecting her actual age. Meanwhile, Dr Jadhav added, "Looking at the denture, it seems that the deceased must be in her early 40s. She might have been killed around 12 days ago."

Discovery of body

A group of local tribal children as well as rag pickers saw a suitcase found dumped deep inside a thick bush. When they opened it, they saw something wrapped in a dustbin bag. "The group of children informed their parents, who later alerted a police chowkie. Soon, a large team of officials arrived from Mandvi police station, and later, we got to know that the severed head of a woman was found inside the suitcase," said an officer attached to Mandvi police station. The cops have also recovered a few red coloured bangles and a delicate pouch of jewellery on which something is written in Bengali. "It seems the woman is from West Bengal," said another officer. The zonal deputy inspector of police Jayant Bhajbale said, "Our teams are working on the case, and soon we will detect it. There is no CCTV camera in the area where the suitcase was found, so we are using conventional methods to detect the case."

Mandvi police have registered an FIR under Sections 101 (murder) and 238 (destruction of evidence) under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and began an investigation. Crime Branch sleuths have also started a parallel investigation.