65-yr-old killed in her house, cops arrest man she treated like son

A 65-year-old woman was on Wednesday night bludgeoned to death in her Thane residence. The police have arrested a close family friend, whom the victim treated like a son, for the crime. He has claimed he was promised money by the victim's son-in-law to kill her, said officers probing the case.

Thane Nagar police said Maya Bahulekar (65), son Vaibhav, daughter Sonali and son-in-law Paresh Thakkar were residents of the house at Ashok House colony near the Ashok Cinema in Thane. Maya's body, with head smashed, was found by her son Vaibhav on his return from work around 10:00 pm Wednesday. He informed police, which started inquiries.

Sonali and Paresh had gone to Mumbai to attend a wedding, and returned some time after Vaibhav.

"From neighbours we came to know that Sonali's friend Anil Raibole (36), whom Maya treated like her own son, had visited the Bahulekar residence on Wednesday evening. We questioned him and became suspicious when we found him nervous and his answers evasive. After sustained questioning, he confessed to having killed Maya," said police inspector Hemant Sawant, Thane Nagar police station.

According to the police, around 8:30 pm Wednesday, Raibole reached the residence and told the victim he had dropped in as he was passing by. During their conversation, he allegedly brought out a hammer from his bag and hit Maya five times on the face. To make it look like a robbery, he took Maya's's necklace and some cash from the house, police said. Raibole allegedly threw the hammer on the railway tracks near the Thane station.

"Raibole said Sonali's husband Paresh Thakkar had been at loggerheads with Maya and wanted to get rid of her. Raibole was unemployed, and Thakkar promised him Rs 50,000 if he killed her. We are interrogating Thakkar," Sawant said.

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