Juhu murder: Domestic help had sent guard to buy snacks, sneaked in brother, say police

MUMBAI: The domestic help who has been arrested for murdering the wife of a businessman in her plush duplex flat last week, had sent the building security guard to a nearby shop to buy some snacks so that he could sneak in his brother. The siblings had planned to rob the family as they were deep
in debt.
The accused, Dilip Mandal, had also tried to waylaid the police by naming two other domestic helps in the building as his aides to protect his brother, but his lie was exposed during sustained interrogation, said a police officer.
The victim, Minoti Parikh (50), lived in Guru Kripa building with her husband, Ajay, and daughter. The family had hired Dilip two months ago on a recommendation of a previous domestic help. The Parikhs were one of the promoters of Zandu Pharma before they sold their stake and ventured into a new business.
On seeing Minoti Parikh keep valuables in the house, Dilip allegedly hatched a plan to rob them and roped his elder brother, Ghanshyam, who was employed as a domestic help with a Walkeshwar family and had been recently fired. The Mandals wanted to repay a loan taken from a moneylender and also wanted to spend on a relative’s wedding.
On February 23, after Dilip told his brother that Minoti was alone in the flat, the latter reached there. But he didn’t enter in the building as there was a security guard at the gate. He informed Dilip about it, said a police officer.
Minoti was watching television when Dilip told her that he was going downstairs for some time and requested her not to close the door, said the officer. She could not see the door from where she was sitting, added the officer. Dilip gave the security guard Rs 100 to buy snacks for him from a nearby shop, and sneaked Ghanshyam into the flat, the officer added.
Ghanshyam hid in a bathroom, while Dilip went into the kitchen. After a while, he told Minoti that cooking gas was not working properly. When she entered the kitchen, Dilip grabbed her and Ghanshyam joined in. Minoti resisted them and screamed for help but they strangled her. They did not realize that she had died, the officer said. They tied her hands and legs, collected valuables worth Rs 33 lakh and fled before the security guard returned.
The police said Dilip went to a relative’s place in Haryana, while Ghanshyam took the valuables and went separate ways.
The Juhu police caught Ghanshyam first with the valuables and his interrogation led them to Dilip. API Deepak Sawant of the crime branch unit 9, along with the Juhu police, later arrested Dilip from Haryana.