Househelp not cooperating, cops tell court

In the case of the murder of 63-year-old Jyoti Shah at Nepean Sea Road, the accused house help, Kanaiya Pandit, 19, is not cooperating, the police on Tuesday told the Girgaon court, which has extended his custody till Friday.

Police inspector Ganesh Aundhe told the court that Shah’s missing diamond studded gold bangle worth Rs3 lakh has not been found yet and Pandit is not giving convincing answers. As per the police, Pandit keeps changing his statement regarding the missing bangle.

Pandit initially told the police that he went to Shah’s bedroom with the intention to steal but she woke up. He said he got nervous and

Jyoti Shah’s missing diamond studded gold bangle cannot be traced and Pandit is not giving convincing answers. He is continuously changing his statement.

Police Inspector

strangled her to death and fled without stealing anything. Another statement he gave to the police was that he stole the bangle and gave it to a passenger on the train on which he was fleeing the city.

Shah was killed on March 12 and the Malabar Hill police detained Pandit within 24 hours from Bhusaval station. Pandit is a resident of Sitamarhi in Bihar and his father works as a security guard in the building next to Shahs.

After the murder, Pandit tried to flee but was arrested. Shah’s husband runs a jewellery showroom in a fivestar hotel in south Mumbai and found his wife dead when he arrived home. He told the police that the bangle that his wife wore was missing. The family had hired Pandit only a day before.