(Trigger warning: Descriptions of gory violence. Reader discretion advised.)
Fifty-five-year-old Veena Jain's family in Mumbai had been trying to get in touch with her since December 2022 – but in vain.
On 14 March, the Mumbai Police arrested her daughter Rimple Jain after they found pieces of Reena's body in plastic bags, stuffed inside a cupboard and steel water containers, at her house in the city's Lalbaug area.
Sources in the Kalachowky Police told The Quint that the 24-year-old daughter confirmed that the body belonged to her mother, and also "confessed to murdering her."
Connecting the Dots: What Happened?
In a statement to the police, Veena's brother Suresh Kumar Paurwal, 60, said that he tried to reach her several times since December but failed.
He added that every time he called or messaged Rimple, she would reportedly assure him that Veena was alright. Suresh also claimed that Rimple messaged him from Veena's phone, pretending to be the deceased, so that he wouldn't check on her.
"My sister was on bed rest after she fell down and injured herself. She couldn't come outside. I tried calling her and even going to her house. But Rimple did not allow us inside the house. She used to slam the door in our faces," Suresh told the Kalachowky Police, in his statement.
"For two months, we thought she [Veena] was fine and recovering. We even got messages from her saying she was alright and would visit them soon. No one thought that she was lying dead in her own house."Suresh Kumar Paurwal, brother of the deceased
On 14 March, Suresh said that he even sent his daughter to check on Veena. But Rimple allegedly did not let her inside the house, raising suspicion.
Suresh then came to Ibrahim Kasam Chawl – where the mother and daughter lived – with his son, and they barged into the house.
In his statement, he stressed that as they searched the house for Veena, they "sensed something was wrong as there was a foul stench in the room."
Based on his statement, Kalachowy Police registered a missing person complaint to search Rimple's house.
"We were shocked to find parts of a highly decomposed human body in plastic bags. They were locked up in a cupboard," a police source told The Quint.
What Did the Police Find?
Upon further search, the police found more parts of her body stuffed in steel containers, which are generally used to store water. These containers were locked inside the bathroom.
According to the police, Rimple had not stepped out of her house since the day of the crime. Her uncle used to look after her mother's financial expenses, and he had arranged for their food at a bhojnalaya in the same area.
"The food was delivered to their doorstep, and Rimple would just open the door to take it. If she needed anything else, she used to call the shopkeepers outside and order items. But we don't understand how she kept the body for two months inside the house without raising an alarm. The foul smell in the house was very strong," a police source added.
Confirming the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Pravin Mundhe said, "Rimple has been arrested for the murder of Veena Jain and has been remanded to police custody. Further investigations are on."
Police said that they have recovered sickles, a cutter, and a small knife from the house, which are suspected to be used in the murder.
A postmortem report is awaited, and a case under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as provisions of the Arms Act, 1959, has been registered.
The incident serves as a chilling reminder of the recent horrific Shraddha Walkar murder case in Delhi, where her boyfriend and live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala allegedly murdered her and kept the body parts in a fridge.
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