‘Calculated betrayal, not just killing’: Thane court jails man for murdering epileptic wife; mangalsutra excuse unraveled murder plot

THANE: A 75-year-old man from Thane was convicted of the murder of his bedridden wife, whom he strangled using a black thread after months of allegedly starving her of medication and pressuring her to give up her property. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment, says a copy of the order made available on Monday. "This was not just a killing," judge noted, "It was the exploitation of care-giving trust, a calculated erasure of a life that stood in the way of inheritance."The convict, Shobhnath Rajeshwar Shukla, a retired security guard, lived with the victim, Sharada Shukla, in a two-room chawl in Wagle Estate. The couple had a history of domestic strife, driven by a bitter dispute over property ownership. Sharada, who married Shobhnath after being widowed, insisted that her share of the home go to her biological son. However, Shobhnath wanted it for his son from a previous marriage.According to court findings, this domestic power struggle ended in a meticulously planned killing. On Nov 8, 2019, while no one else was home, Shobhnathused a black thread to compress Sharada's neck. She was found dead on the bed with a suspicious ‘U'-shaped ligature mark and blood on her lips, but the husband told neighbours the mark was "just a mangalsutra imprint".It was only after a doctor, called by tenants, raised an alarm that police were summoned. What shocked the court even more was the calculated nature of the crime. The post-mortem report described a 16-cm ligature mark, precision injuries, and evidence of manual compression, ruling out natural or suicidal death. The woman's physical condition—she was epileptic, bedridden, and unable to walk—made the idea of suicide impossible, the court noted."This was a controlled, deliberate killing—not a moment of rage, but a betrayal carried out with full awareness of her helplessness," said additional sessions judge VL Bhosale. The court dismissed the defence claim of suicide. While the defence pleaded for leniency citing the convict's age, the court refused to show mercy.