75-year-old strangled with saree in her Versova home
House ransacked; woman had rented out two shops and a room
MUMBAI: A 75-year-old woman was allegedly strangled to death in Versova, Andheri, on Sunday. Gulabi Narayan Shetty, a widow, was found dead in her home by visiting relatives on Sunday night. She is survived by her daughter, Manorama Shetty. The police filed a first information report (FIR) against unknown persons on Sunday.
Shetty was living in a building that housed Chaitanya Hotel in Versova. Manorama said her mother owned two shops and a room, all of which she rented out. Shetty’s murder came to light on Sunday evening when her relatives came to visit her.
“At around 4pm, my husband knocked on her door, but no one responded and he left. Later, at around 8 pm, I went with another relative, Ramni Shetty, and we too knocked the door but did not get any response. Then we found the door was open, and decided to check inside,” said Sujata Shetty, a relative. Sujata and Ramni found Shetty’s body in the washroom and informed the police. “Her legs, hands, throat and face were tied with a yellow sari,” said Sujata.
Senior inspector of DN Nagar police station, Parmeshwar Ganme said they suspect Shetty was strangled. “We have filed the FIR against unidentified persons under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and are investigating
the case,” he said. According to the police, Shetty’s home was vandalised and it is unclear if anything was taken. The building is located opposite Versova police station and the police is checking the available footage from the close circuit television (CCTV) cameras outside the police station.
The police informed Manorama on Sunday night. “Around 8pm, the police informed me of the incident,” said Manorama, adding that her son, 29-year-old Dhiran Shetty, had been detained for questioning on Sunday night. He was still being questioned by the police at the time of going to press. The police said they were questioning several people about Shetty’s murder.
According to Manorama, Shetty had been seen alive at around 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon by her tenants. “There are three tenants on the first floor of the building. The tenants generally go in the morning and return after 8pm. They saw my mother at 1.30pm,” she said.
In 1997, Shetty’s husband, Narayan, was stabbed to death because of his involvement in a property deal. Manorama was with him at the time and says his assailants tried to attack her too, but she was saved by others at the scene of the crime. The police said it was probing whether Shetty’s and her husband’s murders may be connected.