Police believed contract killers were behind the murders.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW DELHI: In a bizarre murder case which had the police fooled too in the initial stages of investigation, an Indian woman in Vasco, Goa, Pratima Naik, was arrested for the murder of her mother-in-law Usha Naik, 56, and sister-in-law Neha Naik, 26.
Pratima Naik’s age was not clear, as two different news agencies in India gave it differently: the PTI putting it as 27 and IANS as 32.
The murder, which took place on January 30, had shocked the state. The police had initially pegged it as a crime by contract killers. Now, it’s emerged that the killer was living at home with the two victims, and had committed the double homicide after being ill-treated at home, and also for her greed for gold, reports said.
Police also suspect Pratima Naik drew inspiration from a crime serial on TV, but declined to say which one it was, reported PTI.
Initially, it was believed that Pratima got the other two Naiks killed at the hands of hired killers on Sunday night and orchestrated a fake attack on herself to mislead the police.
However, Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg told reporters today that Naik confessed during interrogation that she plotted the killings by taking a cue from a television serial.
Naik confessed to the murder saying she killed the women to avenge the ill-treatment meted out to her, Garg said, reported PTI. Police have also recovered and seized gold worth Rs. 10 lakh which Naik had allegedly stolen from the house and kept with a relative after the incident.
The relative, identified as Abhijit Korgaonkar, who had helped the accused in hiding gold, has also been arrested, Garg said.
IANS detailed the modus operandi of the crime: Pratima Naik drugged Usha Naik and Neha Naik with sleeping pills, strangulated the former and smothered the latter with a pillow after they passed out.
“She then bundled gold ornaments worth Rs.10 lakh and threw it out to an accomplice waiting outside and concocted a very elaborate story,” Garg said.
The accused woman smeared chili powder on her face, and even stabbed herself and went to the neighbors to complain of a robbery, reported IANS.
“She also said she was hit on the head with a stick by a burglar after which she passed out, but we saw through her story,” Garg said.
Spouses of both Pratima and Neha are employed abroad.
Pratima, who was in an intensive care unit for two days since the murders were reported, was arrested late Tuesday and sent to 14 days in police custody Wednesday.
The double murder triggered social as well as political ripples in Goa, with the opposition lambasting the BJP-led government over the deteriorating law and order in the state, reported IANS.