Manoj Sane, 58, allegedly killed his 32-year-old partner, Saraswati Vaidya, and then tried to dispose of her body parts by pressure cooking some, roasting others and grinding the rest before feeding them to stray dogs
In a macabre case that has shaken Mumbai, a 58 year old man is accused of gruesomely murdering his partner of nine years. Manoj Sane allegedly cut up Saraswati Vaidya, who was 32, cooking parts of her body in a pressure cooker, roasting some and grounding others to feed them to local strays.
Sane supposedly used an electric saw to dice up the body over three days in an attempt to evade police detection, only to be detained shortly afterwards.
The crime scene in the couple’s flat, set amidst a middle-class block of residences, left officers horrified by the grisly state of their accommodation.
Assistant Police Inspector Rahul Bhagvat commented on the chilling discovery: “The kitchen was a complete mess – there were buckets and multiple pots and pans full of chopped and minced human flesh.”
Rahul Bhagvat mentioned being one of the first to step into the abode during a check with Police Inspector Jilani Sayyad, instigated following complaints about a foul odour from neighbours; they were greeted by the sight of a blood-stained electric saw, as reported by The Hindustan Times, reports the Mirror US.
Amongst the scattered bones found across the flat, including those stuffed into buckets and a pressure cooker, the investigators also stumbled upon severed feet.
On Wednesday, 7 June 2023, the Mumbai Police arrested Sane on suspicion of murder. He first started living with Saraswati, an orphan, after meeting her back in 2014.
Police say Sane believed he could successfully dispose of Saraswati’s remains without drawing attention, thereby evading capture.
Somesh Shrivastav, who lived opposite Sane, first caught a whiff of the putrid odour as he returned home for lunch from work. Curious, he tried to check but found Sane’s flat securely locked.
Later that day at 4.30pm, Shrivastav encountered Sane on the staircase and mentioned the terrible stench. “He was carrying a black backpack and he seemed restless. He told me that she would return home at 10.30 in the night and resolve the issue,” recounted Shrivastav.
Sensing something amiss, the neighbour sounded the alarm. Contrary to his earlier statement, Sane came back at 8pm, not 10.30pm, and was arrested by the police.
“It was only when we saw the news on television late on Wednesday night that we found out about the murder and also, for the first time, the names of our neighbours in flat 704,” Shrivastav revealed.
Sane spun several tales regarding his partner’s demise, initially alleging she poisoned herself, fearing he’d be accused of inciting suicide. Eventually, he confessed to the authorities that a quarrel had erupted over infidelity suspicions, leading him to fatally stab her with a knife.
Sane was taken into custody by the police, with Saraswati’s remains sent for autopsy, disclosed Jayant Bajbale, deputy police commissioner. “We have also recovered a few knives and cutters from the kitchen in Sane’s flat and are trying to confirm which of them was the murder weapon,” an officer from the Nayanagar police station reported.
Saraswati, raised in a Borivali orphanage, crossed paths with Sane at the ration shop where he worked in 2014. Saraswati, having left school, became increasingly reliant on Sane financially until they set up home together in Mira Road three years prior.
Though neighbours were aware of their frequent and heated disputes, they noted the couple kept to themselves, largely unknown to others around them.