Santacruz Poisoning Case: Mumbai Crime branch files 1364-page chargesheet 

Mumbai: In the Santacruz poisoning case, the Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 9 filed a 1,364-page chargesheet in the Fort court on Monday. Kamalkant Shah was poisoned to slow death last year with arsenic and thallium by his wife Kavita alias Kajal Shah and her paramour Hitesh Jain. 

In the chargesheet, the CBI held Kajal Shah responsible for her husband’s death. She has also been held responsible for the similar death of her mother-in-law Sarla Devi a few months prior. Kajal Shah and Hitesh Jain were arrested in December 2022 and are still in jail.

Heavy doses of arsenic & thallium found in viscera samples

A Crime Branch official said the chargesheet contains statements of 16 people, including Kamalkant’s family members and relatives. Officials also presented in court the lab report for heavy metal testing done by Bombay Hospital. As per the report, heavy doses of arsenic and thallium were found in the viscera samples of Kamalkant Shah.

As per the chargesheet, Kajal Shah acted on the behest of her paramour Hitesh Jain, who procured the metals for mixing in the victim’s food. The police said Kamalkant found out about his wife’s affair but denied her divorce. She then left home and rented a house. However, she later planned the murder and came back to her marital home on the pretext of patching up her relations.

Victim's mother too had exhibited similar symptoms before her death

Kamalkant was undergoing treatment for an ailment but wasn’t responding to medicines, following which heavy metal testing was done. The doctors later informed the Azad Maidan police about his death via a letter. 

In her complaint submitted to the police, Kamalkant’s sister said her mother too had exhibited similar symptoms before her death. The Crime Branch, after taking legal opinion in the matter, investigated both the deaths in a single FIR.