PTC Web Desk: A murder that allegedly remained hidden for almost a year has come to light in Navi Mumbai after the police arrested a woman and her alleged lover for killing her husband, dismembering his body and dumping the remains in a forest.

The accused have been identified as Sunita Kushwaha (40) and Rahul Dashrath Prajapati (30). According to the police, the crime took place in August 2025, but investigators uncovered it only after reopening the case following a complaint filed by the victim's brother.

Missing complaint reopened the case

The victim, Baliram Suryanath Kushwaha (50), lived with his wife and their two children in Airoli, Navi Mumbai. The police said the case took a new turn in April 2026 when Baliram's brother visited Sunita and became suspicious of the explanations she gave about his disappearance. Doubting her claims, he approached the police and filed a missing person's complaint.

The complaint led investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding Baliram's disappearance and question people close to the family.

Affair allegedly led to the murder

During the investigation, the police found that Sunita was allegedly in a relationship with Rahul Prajapati, an autorickshaw driver. According to investigators, Baliram had come to know about the alleged affair and strongly objected to it. Police believe the couple then planned to eliminate him.

Officials said they waited for the right opportunity and allegedly sent the couple's children to stay with a relative before carrying out the murder.

Murdered while sleeping

Police said Baliram was allegedly strangled while he was asleep on the night of August 9, 2025. Investigators further claimed that his throat was slit after he was killed.

To hide the crime, the accused allegedly cut the body into three pieces, packed the remains in sacks and transported them in Prajapati's autorickshaw.

The body parts were then allegedly dumped at different locations in the dense Gawli Dev hill forest in Navi Mumbai.

After the incident, Sunita reportedly rented out the family's house in Airoli and shifted to Ghansoli along with her children.

Phone records helped police crack the case

Police said both accused frequently changed their mobile phones and SIM cards to avoid being tracked.

However, investigators examined their Call Detail Records (CDR) and found that the two had remained in regular contact over several months. The phone records strengthened the police's suspicion about their involvement.

During sustained questioning, both allegedly confessed to the crime and revealed where they had disposed of the body.

Based on the information provided by the accused,  the police recovered some human remains believed to belong to Baliram from the Gawli Dev forest. Search operations are still underway to recover the remaining body parts.

The police have registered a case against the two accused under Sections 103 (murder), 238 (destruction of evidence) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Both were produced before a local court, which remanded them to seven days of police custody for further investigation.