Woman, 71, found dead at Raigad home; jewellery worth ₹3.5 lakh missing

A 71-year-old woman was found murdered with her hands and legs tied inside the kitchen of her house in Khopoli of Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Wednesday, police officials said. The victim has been identified as Maheshwari Ramachandran Panicker and was found lying dead on the kitchen floor amid food preparations, indicating that she may have been preparing a meal when the assailant attacked her.

The woman and her neighbours apprehended one of the suspects, who has already been taken into custody. The incident took place on Monday, 14 April. (PTI/representative )The incident came to light after her brothers, who live nearby, became concerned after she failed to answer their phone calls.

“One of the brothers came over to her place and found the flat locked. He then tried to look for her in places she often visited and eventually approached us after he failed to find her,” said the investigating officer Sachin Hiray.

Her mobile phone location showed that it was inside her house. “We reached the spot and broke open the door and found Panicker lying dead in the kitchen, with her hands and legs tied,” said Hiray. According to the FIR registered at Khopoli police station, an unidentified assailant allegedly entered her flat in Indraprastha Building in Bhanvaj village with the intention of committing theft.

The accused tied her hands and legs with cloth, strangled her with a dupatta and repeatedly assaulted her by smashing her head against the floor, resulting in her death. After killing her, the assailant allegedly stole a gold mangalsutra weighing approximately twenty grams, valued at ₹2 lakh, and three gold bangles weighing around 15 grams, worth ₹1.5 lakh.

The total value of the stolen jewellery is estimated at ₹3.5 lakh. Prima facie, robbery appears to be the motive behind the murder, given the missing jewellery. However, police are investigating all possible angles and examining CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify the assailant and reconstruct his movements.

The exact time of the murder is yet to be established. Panicker lived alone in the flat as her husband died around 12 years ago and her children, two sons and a daughter, are settled abroad. Her three brothers reside nearby.

Khopoli police have registered a case under Sections 103(1) (murder), 311 (robbery) and 331(7) (house trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. A forensic team visited the crime scene and collected evidence. No arrest has been made so far.