Bangalore-based IT professional-turned-fitness specialist, Anushree Kundra, 39, surrendered before the Pune police, a month after allegedly murdering her former boyfriend’s fiancée Juhi Prasad at his rented flat in Pune’s Salunke Vihar area.
While Prasad, 26, died of 90% burns in a Pune hospital on October 22, Anushree’s former boyfriend, Nimesh Sinha, 27, suffered 10% burns.
On Tuesday, Anushree, accompanied by her father and uncle, surrendered before the Cantonment court of judicial magistrate (first class) JA Kotnis. She was charged with murder and remanded in police custody till November 21.
Anushree who was crying in court had covered her face with a black scarf when she approached the court after landing in Pune on Tuesday.
On November 10, Anushree had obtained a four-day anticipatory bail from the Delhi high court. According to the police, Nimesh had called Anushree and Juhi to his flat on October 12 to “sort things out”. The police claimed that on October 13 morning, Anushree had bought petrol from a petrol station, returned to the flat and set Juhi and Nimesh on fire before fleeing.
Anushree’s lawyers Vaibhav Jathar and Tejraj Dafle submitted a 12-page application before the court stating that she had been falsely implicated in the case.
The application said in the wee hours of October 13, Nimesh and Juhi were drunk and had a heated argument and it was then that Nimesh set Juhi on fire and even tried to burn Anushree but she fled.
Assistant public prosecutor BR Patil sought 10 days’ police custody for Anushree stating that the nature of the crime “is heinous and inhuman.”
Defence lawyers Vaibhav Jathar and Tejraj Dafle argued that Anushree was being falsely implicated and two days’ custody was sufficient to investigate the case.
They said Anushree did not flee but was trying to save her life and that she had voluntarily appeared before the court. Her lawyers accused Nimesh of the crime.
Anushree’s father, a retired government officer, told DNA that she had a 12-year-old son. “Nimesh is responsible for all this. He has ruined the lives of Juhi and my daughter... He too must be arrested and put behind the bars.”
