Mumbai double murder: Key suspect Sadhu Rajbhar detained in Varanasi

In a major breakthrough in double murder of installation artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani, the Mumbai police in joined operation with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force on Monday detained Sadhu Rajbhar, the main suspect, from Varanasi.

According to reports, Rajbhar is a metal facrication artist by profession.

A Mumbai Police team which is probing the case had gone to Uttar Pradesh .

According to police, the bodies of Hema (43) and Bhambhani (65), their hands and feet tied with ropes, were recovered from a drain in suburban Kandivali on Saturday night. The bodies were stuffed in two cardboard boxes.

Their samples have been sent for chemical analysis and their autopsy reports are awaited, the senior offical said.

In this connection, police has also quizzed the transporter, who confirmed that he dumped the two boxes in a nullah in Kandivali on Saturday afternoon thinking that it contained broken antiques.

Also, police on Saturday recorded the statement of the watchman at Hema's apartment in Juhu Tara Road and her domestic servant Lalit Mandal.

Besides, Hema's estranged husband Chintan, who was in Delhi and arrived in the city on Sunday, was questioned by the Crime Branch.

According to police, Hema's domestic help had filed a missing complaint at Santacruz police station on Saturday.

Hema and Bhambhani were missing since Friday evening, said police, adding the watchman of Hema had last seen her on Friday at 11 AM.

Whereas according to Anita, at around 6.30 pm on Friday Bhambhani had left his King Circle home in Matunga to meet Hema.

As per police, Bhambhani met Hema at her art studio in Andheri and at around 8.30 PM on Friday. Then he had a word with his wife on phone, after which the Bhambhani family couldn't speak with the latter despite calling him frantically several times.

(With PTI inputs)