The motive has not yet been confirmed but the police have detained Urvashi’s husband Arvind Vamanrao Ghadole at Gondia in Chandrapur. They said Urvashi and Arvind had filed a divorce application at Nagpur court while a property dispute case between them is pending in a Pune court.

According to them, Urvashi had gone to her mother’s house in Pashan from her workplace on Wednesday evening. She was going home from there on a two-wheeler when unidentified men attacked her with a sharp weapon on an isolated stretch near her residence. Urvashi died on the spot.

Residents who saw her body in a pool of blood on the road informed the police, following which a team of Chaturshringi police rushed to the spot. Senior police officers also visited the crime scene. The body, which had 12 major injuries, was sent for post-mortem examination. Her parents are staying nearby at Chindananda Society in Pashan. Urvashi had married Arvind, also an engineer, in 2001.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III) Mahesh Patil told the media that Urvashi and Arvind had parted ways about two years after their marriage and filed a divorce petition. “Arvind had shifted to Nagpur and filed the petition at a family court. They also had a dispute over the ownership of a flat in Pashan. A Nagpur court had given a decision in Urvashi’s favour on Monday. Urvashi’s parents suspect this could be the reason behind her murder.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare said Arvind has been detained for questioning at Gondia. “There were disputes between Urvashi and her husband. But the motive for the murder is yet to be known. Investigations are on.”

Urvashi’s sister Ujjwala Kulkarni has now lodged a complaint at Chaturshringi police station. Though the family members refused to speak to the media, the police revealed that this was Arvind’s second marriage and he has two children from his first wife. After marrying Urvashi, he had jointly purchased a flat with her at Swami Samartha Society in Pashan, which has become a matter of dispute between them. Urvashi was staying alone at this flat.

Police said the assailants might have kept a close watch on Urvashi’s daily movements. She used to go to her parents’ house everyday after work and then ride back to her place after dinner. The murder seems to have been planned on basis of this routine.