Police smash slab, find husband’s skeleton

PALGHAR: A day after an arrested brothel owner from Palghar confessed to killing three people, police smashed a cement slab at her house on Wednesday and recovered the skeletal remains of her husband Sahdev, who she murdered in 2004.

Sarita Bharati, 42, and her lover Kamlesh Chavan, had stoned Sahdev to death after he caught them in a compromising position. They disposed of his body in a septic tank, which they covered with cement, said assistant inspector Mansinh Patil of Boisar police.

Police said Sahdev’s upper and lower jaw are intact and his bone marrow is in good condition, which means DNA testing can be carried out at the Kalina lab.

Police are digging surrounding areas to retrieve the skeletal remains of Sarita’s other two victims. “Sarita ran a brothel in Dandipada, Boisar (East). We had arrested her and one of her customers for prostitution under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) on Sunday. They were remanded in police custody till December 9, when they will be produced before the Palghar court,” he said.

Police have not arrested Sarita for murder as they are still investigating the prostitution racket. “We are on the hunt for Kamlesh, who is absconding. We will also question her son Sandesh, 25, a tempo driver,” he added.

Police suspect Sandesh, who was a minor then, had aided Sarita and Kamlesh when they murdered Sahdev. They are investigating his role. After the murder, Sarita told neighbours that he was an alcoholic who had deserted her, which is why she did not ask police to register a missing person’s case.

The Boisar MIDC police said Sarita recently murdered a customer as she wanted to steal the ₹1 lakh with him. “She has not told us where she has disposed of the body,” said the official. Police said Sarita practices black magic and murdered a third person as a human sacrifice.