New Delhi: The Mumbai police have arrested a man on the charge of killing a woman, whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Mumbai's Kurla area two days back, an official said on Tuesday. 


The accused was allegedly the victim's live-in partner, reported news agency PTI.


According to the official, the accused, identified as Askar Manoj Barla (22), was arrested on Monday for allegedly strangulating the deceased woman, Pratima Pawal Kispatta (25), on Saturday evening on the suspicion of having an affair with another person.


He said that the body stuffed in a suitcase was found on Sunday morning on the CST Road bridge at Chembur-Santacruz Road at Kurla West.


"The Mumbai police have cracked the murder case of the woman whose body was found stuffed in the suitcase at Kurla. Barla was arrested by a team of the crime branch comprising Units 5 and 11 when he was about to escape to his hometown in Odisha," the official said, reported PTI.


He said that both of them hailed from Odisha and got acquainted while returning to their state from Mumbai during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. They were currently living in the Dharavi area of Mumbai. 


According to the official, Barla was nabbed by the officials of Unit-11 of the crime branch from Thane railway station within 36 hours of registration of the offence of murder, reported PTI.


While Barla worked in a sweet mart, Pratima worked as a maid. However, since the last couple of months she was at home, he said.


How Cops Cracked The Murder Case?


DCP (Detection) Raj Tilak Roshan said, "Barla suspected that his live-in partner was in an affair with another person, due to which there used to be altercations between them."


He said that both had a fight on Saturday evening, following which Barla strangled her in a fit of rage and killed her. After her murder, Barla decided to dispose of the body by stuffing it in a suitcase.


"Accordingly, he put her body in the suitcase and took an autorickshaw for Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in the early hours of Sunday. He planned to take her body out of Mumbai from there," the official said.


After reaching the LTT, Barla changed his mind and left the station with the suitcase. While going towards Kurla west, he found that the Metro project work was going on and barricades were placed. He kept the suitcase behind the barricade and again went to the LTT, where he waited for some time, and in the morning he took the Godan Express to go out of the city leaving the suitcase at that spot, another official said.


Soon after he realised that Godan Express does not go to Odisha, he got down at Thane and purchased new tickets for Odisha. Till the time of the train's arrival, he was roaming in Thane city and also purchased a new SIM card for his mobile phone, he said.


He said that the accused Barla was arrested by the crime branch team and further probe into the case is underway.