Mira Road murder: Accused claims victim was like daughter to him, says she killed herself

56-year-old Manoj Sane, arrested for killing his live-in partner Saraswati Vaidya and then chopping and boiling her body parts, has reportedly told police during interrogation that he is HIV-positive and never had physical relationship with Vaidya.

A senior officer told The Indian Express that Sane told police that he is HIV-positive and had never had physical relationship with Vaidya, as she was “like his daughter”.

During interrogations, Manoj also said that Saraswati Vaidya, 32, consumed poison and died by suicide. Fearing that he would be booked under the case, he disposed of the body by chopping it and boiling it in the cooker.

Sane was arrested after the chopped body parts of his live-in partner were recovered from a flat in Maharashtra's Thane district. Following his arrest, Sane was remanded in police custody till June 16.

A few of the pieces were crushed in a mixer and boiled in a pressure cooker, in what appeared to be a re-run of the Shraddha Walkar case.

The accused told the police, that on June 3, when he returned home, he had found his live-in-partner Saraswati lying on the floor, with spit flowing out of her mouth.

However, a senior official told PTI that Sane is trying to mislead the police. "Sane is trying to mislead the police by claiming that his live-in partner committed suicide, but the truth will be out after thorough interrogation," the official said.

The victim, an orphan, once lived in an ashram in the western suburb of Borivili and often visited the ration shop where Sane worked.  

Manoj, while revealing how he killed Saraswati, told police that he first chopped her body with two tree cutters and later boiled all parts in a pressure cooker, in order to separate the bones and flesh so that no foul smell emanates.

He also said that he had already disposed of some body parts earlier.

Also Read: Mira Road murder case: Cops suspect accused fed live-in partner's body parts to dogs