Wire Centre | Mumbai

A Marriage Turned Deadly

Navi Mumbai’s Rabale MIDC Police have finally solved a case that had remained buried for nearly a year — literally. Sunita Kushwaha (40) and her alleged lover Rahul Dashrath Prajapati (30) have been arrested for the brutal murder of Sunita’s husband, Baliram Suryanath Kushwaha (50), a resident of Yadav Nagar in Airoli. A local court has remanded both accused to seven days of police custody.

Investigators say Baliram had long objected to his wife’s relationship with Rahul — a resistance that, police allege, ultimately cost him his life.

The Night It Happened

According to the police account, the couple’s two children were sent to stay with their aunt on the night of August 9, 2025 — clearing the way for what came next. As Baliram slept, he was allegedly strangled to death. His body was then decapitated with a sharp weapon in a chilling attempt to destroy evidence.

The accused reportedly cut the body into three parts, wrapped each in separate sacks and sheets, and used Rahul’s auto-rickshaw to dump the remains at three different locations in the forested Gavli Dev hills.

 

A Cover Story That Held for Months, How the Truth Unravelled.

In the aftermath, Sunita allegedly moved with her children to Ghansoli and began living with Rahul — while telling relatives and neighbours that Baliram had simply abandoned the family and left home. The story held until Baliram’s brother grew suspicious and filed a missing person’s report at Rabale MIDC police station in April 2026.

That complaint triggered a fresh investigation. Police scrutinised call detail records, tracked suspicious changes in mobile numbers, and zeroed in on inconsistencies in statements given by Sunita and Rahul. Under separate and sustained interrogation, both accused allegedly broke down and confessed to the entire conspiracy.

Police are now combing the Gavli Dev forest for the victim’s skeletal remains and other evidence as the investigation continues.