Navi Mumbai Police crack 11-month-old murder case, arrest wife and her paramour
Synopsis
Nearly a year after a man was allegedly murdered by his wife and her lover in Airoli, Navi Mumbai Police cracked the case using call records and interrogation — after the accused had changed phones, rented out the victim's home, and told relatives he had simply walked away. The body has still not been fully recovered.
Key Takeaways
Navi Mumbai Police arrested Sunita Kushwah (40) and Rahul Dashrath Prajapati (30) for the alleged murder of Baliram Suryanath Kushwah (50) in Airoli's Yadav Nagar .
The alleged murder took place on 9 August 2025 ; the case came to light only in April 2026 after a missing persons complaint was filed.
The accused allegedly killed Baliram, dismembered his body, and disposed of the remains in a forest area to conceal the crime.
Both accused changed their mobile phones and SIM cards after the crime, but call detail records (CDR) and statement discrepancies helped investigators trace them.
A court has remanded both to seven days of police custody ; search operations are underway in the Gawli Dev hill area for further evidence.
Navi Mumbai Police have cracked a nearly 11-month-old blind murder case from Airoli's Yadav Nagar, arresting a woman and her alleged lover for the killing of her husband. The breakthrough, announced on 14 July, closes one of the Rabale MIDC Police Station's most complex investigations of the past year.
The Accused and the Victim
The two arrested individuals have been identified as Sunita Kushwah (40), wife of the deceased, and Rahul Dashrath Prajapati (30), a rickshaw driver from Ghansoli. The victim, Baliram Suryanath Kushwah (50), had been living with his wife and two children in Yadav Nagar at the time of his alleged murder.
How the Crime Unfolded
According to police, Sunita allegedly developed a relationship with Rahul while married to Baliram. When Baliram discovered the affair and opposed it, the two accused allegedly conspired to eliminate him. Investigators say the couple's children were sent to relatives before the alleged crime was carried out on 9 August 2025.
Baliram was allegedly killed at his own residence. In an apparent attempt to destroy evidence, the accused allegedly chopped his body into pieces and disposed of the remains in a forest area. After the killing, Sunita allegedly rented out the Yadav Nagar house, relocated with her children to Rahul's residence in Ghansoli, and reportedly told relatives for several months that Baliram had simply left home.
How Police Cracked the Case
The case came to light only in April 2026, when a missing persons complaint was registered at Rabale MIDC Police Station — nearly eight months after the alleged murder. Senior Police Inspector Devidas Kathole of Rabale MIDC Police Station said the investigation was challenging because there was no direct evidence initially. 'The case was a blind murder,' he said, adding that technical evidence, call detail records (CDR), and sustained interrogation of suspects helped uncover the conspiracy.
Investigators found that both accused had changed their mobile phones and SIM cards after the incident — a move that initially complicated the probe. However, discrepancies in their statements and analysis of call records ultimately led police to establish their involvement. Based on disclosures made during questioning, search teams have been deployed in the Gawli Dev hill area to look for further physical evidence.
Current Legal Status
A court has remanded both accused to seven days of police custody to facilitate further investigation. The search for the victim's remains is ongoing, and investigators say additional details of the alleged conspiracy are expected to emerge during the custody period.
This case is among a series of domestic homicides in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region where the concealment of a crime delayed its detection by months. The eventual breakthrough underlines the growing role of CDR analysis and technical surveillance in solving cases with no initial physical evidence.
Point of View
Not a murder report, cracked the case open raises questions about community awareness and how quickly such complaints are acted upon. The accused changing phones and SIM cards is now a near-standard pattern in premeditated domestic crimes, yet CDR analysis remains an underutilised tool in early-stage investigations. That the body has still not been fully recovered also signals the limits of confession-led probes without corroborating physical evidence.
NationPress
14 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was arrested in the Navi Mumbai Airoli murder case?
Navi Mumbai Police arrested Sunita Kushwah (40) and her alleged paramour Rahul Dashrath Prajapati (30) , a rickshaw driver from Ghansoli, for the alleged murder of Sunita's husband, Baliram Suryanath Kushwah (50) . Both were produced before a court, which remanded them to seven days of police custody.
When did the murder allegedly take place and how was it discovered?
The alleged murder took place on 9 August 2025 in Yadav Nagar, Airoli. It came to light only in April 2026 — nearly eight months later — when a missing persons complaint was filed at Rabale MIDC Police Station.
How did Navi Mumbai Police solve this blind murder case?
With no direct evidence initially, police relied on technical evidence, call detail records (CDR), and interrogation to uncover the alleged conspiracy. Discrepancies in the suspects' statements and phone-change patterns helped establish their involvement, according to Senior Police Inspector Devidas Kathole.
What did the accused do after the alleged murder?
According to police, the accused allegedly dismembered the victim's body and disposed of the remains in a forest area. Sunita then reportedly rented out the Yadav Nagar house, moved with her children to Rahul's Ghansoli residence, and told relatives for months that her husband had left on his own.
What happens next in the Navi Mumbai murder case?
Both accused are in seven days of police custody. Search teams have been deployed in the Gawli Dev hill area to locate further evidence, including the victim's remains. Investigation is ongoing, and additional details of the alleged conspiracy are expected to emerge during the custody period.
