Mumbai: Mob fury lands wife killer in police net

A routine patrolling round for a police team turned eventful when a man jumped into their vehicle’s path and confessed to murdering his wife in Ghatkopar on Sunday night after a bitter argument, while seeking protection from the wrath of a mob chasing him. The man, who had just allegedly stabbed his wife to death, was arrested along with his accomplice. It later turned out that the mob chasing him had no idea he was a murderer and had actually taken him for a chain snatcher.

A team of personnel from the Pant Nagar police station was conducting a routine patrolling round on MG Road when they saw a terrified man running towards them. An officer said, “We first calmed the mob down and then turned our attention to the man, who had already sustained some injuries.” Later, the police took the man, Satish Jawle, 40, to the crime spot and found his wife Dipali, 37, lying bleeding on the ground in a small lane between a jewellery store and a salon.

Jawle was taken into custody, while Dipali was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, where she was declared dead before admission. The Pant Nagar police subsequently informed the Tilak Nagar police about the incident, as the crime had been committed in their jurisdiction.

Based on his confession, the police also picked up Jawle’s friend Swapnil Pawar, 33, who was also present at the spot at the time of the murder.

As per the police, Dipali worked as a beautician and would get calls at all times of the day from her clients, which had led Satish to believe that she was cheating on him. This caused frequent arguments between the couple, till Dipali left him and went to stay with her mother. On Sunday, she was waiting for her mother at the spot when Satish and Swapnil accosted her. Satish was armed with a dagger, and slashed her repeatedly when she refused to come back to him, an officer with the Tilak Nagar police station said.

As Dipali fell to the ground, Satish panicked and started running, only to be chased by a crowd thinking he was a chain-snatcher.

Police inspector Vilas Rathod said, “The two men were produced in court on Monday and have been remanded in police custody till June 25. The murder weapon has also been recovered.”