A 24-year-old physiotherapist was allegedly murdered at her Vile Parle residence on Tuesday morning. The police suspect that the woman was sexually assaulted before she was killed. The assailant set the crime scene on fire after.
The woman was naked with jeans tied around her neck, indicating that she was strangulated with it. The victim also had burn injuries on the left side of her face.
The deceased stayed with her parents and her younger sister in a ground-plus-one structure in Vile Parle. She was found murdered on the first floor of her home.
According to police, the victim was killed on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. "I noticed smoke coming into my room through the AC duct. I rushed outside and found smoke billowing out from the woman's room. I informed her parents immediately," a neighbour said.
The neighbour's cousin said, "The victim's cousin and I opened the latch from outside and entered the room. There was smoke everywhere. The victim was naked, and a pair of jeans was tied around her neck. We covered her body with a blanket and brought her out of the room. She was not breathing. When I realised there was no pulse, my friend informed the police at around 3.30 am."
The victim's body was taken to Cooper Hospital for autopsy. The 24-year-old had completed a physiotherapy course last year and had been practising in a nearby local hospital.
The victim was last seen around 11 pm on Monday with her friends who had visited her home on Monday. "We saw her and her four friends, including a boy, around 11 pm. They were roaming in the area for a while and returned to her room later. Around 12 am, her friends left the place," said another neighbour.
"She (victim) was a close friend of my daughter. We are shocked by her death," said the father of a friend who was spotted with the victim and other friends a few hours before her murder.
"We are in the process of registering a case under rape and murder charges," said DCP Ashok Dudhe.
Police inspector M Nimbalkar of Vile Parle police station said, "The victim was strangled with a pair of jeans. After the murder, the assailant tried to destroy the crime scene by setting the room on fire."
The police are in the process of questioning the victim's friends who were seen with the victim before the murder, including her alleged boyfriend.
