Santacruz metal poisoning case: ‘Bizman’s wife consumed poison to mislead Mumbai Police’

Mumbai: Deceased businessman Kamalkant Shah’s wife Kavita Shah, booked for his murder by slowly administering heavy metals, had herself consumed a calculated non-fatal quantity to mislead the police and avoid suspicion, the Crime Branch told a court while seeking her extended custody.

The Crime Branch informed the court that it has added a provision under section 201 of the Indian Penal Code against her and her ‘lover’ (the co-accused) for causing disappearance of evidence, having found during custodial interrogation that they destroyed evidence. It said that the offence was committed with a calculated, cool mind.

Kavita, 46, and Hitesh Jain, 45, have been booked on the complaint of the deceased’s sister. They have been charged under sections 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means). The duo were produced before a city magistrate court on Thursday, which extended their custody till Monday.

Prosecutor MS Chaudhari told the court that Mrs Shah’s husband’s treatment was on, the doctor had found a high level of arsenic and thallium in his blood and had prescribed the entire family to undergo a test. The prosecutor pointed out that she did not get the test done for six days and, in the meantime, consumed a small amount of thallium along with water and only then got tested.

“She consumed only for that purpose (of misleading),” the prosecutor told the court, adding that she knew that if she consumed that amount, it would not be fatal.

Mrs Shah’s advocate Mrunmai Kulkarni negated the allegation and referring to the test report said that the amount found in her body was high and not within the safe category. She argued further that there was no unreasonable delay in taking the test and that it was done within four days of her husband passing away.