Bank manager murdered by younger boyfriend in lodge tragedy

MUMBAI: A private bank manager employed in a bank’s Jui Nagar branch was killed in a Turbhe lodge allegedly by her boyfriend—11 years younger than her—whom she met on social media for the last three months. The lodge staff noticed the accused Shoaib Shaikh (24) leaving the premises at midnight while they were watching the closed-circuit circuit. Saki Naka police said the lodge staff learned about the murder only when the Turbhe police team was asked to check the victim, Amit Kaur (35) (divorced and mother of a teenager), well-being and found her reportedly died of strangulation.

Shaikh who has been dating the victim since September 2023 committed the offence suspecting her having an affair with another person and was also pestering him to marry her. He planned to kill her after planning to go for a night out to celebrate her birthday on January 8. Shaikh was nabbed based on a tip-off that Saki Naka police assistant inspector Valmiki Kore received. “Based on information received by Kore, Shaikh was picked up and during questioning, he revealed killing the woman in a Navi Mumbai lodge who was employed as a bank manager,” said DCP (Zone X) Datta Nalawade.

All went normal on the day on Monday after Shaikh met Kaur in the evening after her working hours. They partied outside in Navi Mumbai and celebrated her birthday before they checked into a lodge at Turbhe. “Shaikh and Kaur had used their respective identity cards which they submitted to book the room at around 8.50 pm. At around midnight, the lodge staff noticed Shaikh leaving the premises which was captured in the CCTV. But they did not find anything suspicious about him. However, when the police opened the room they found Kaur was strangled to death,” said Turbhe police senior inspector Ravindra Daundkar.

After leaving the lodge, Shaikh (a school dropout) returned to his Saki Naka home and is employed in a garage and battery shop which is owned by his relative. Around 2 am, Saki Naka assistant police inspector Valmik Kore received a call from an informer. “The informer said he noticed a man from his neighbourhood had done something wrong. Shaikh was found jittery and worried after he returned home late at night. “Shaikh was brought to the police station and during questioning he revealed he had killed his girlfriend in a Navi Mumbai lodge whom he had met through social media in September last year. He said he met her around 8 pm outside her office. They went to Nerul for food and drinks and then proceeded to Hotel Flagship Ashwin in Turbhe. They got intimate before he killed her,” said a police officer of the Saki Naka police station.

After recording his statement, the Saki Naka police got in touch with their counterpart at Turbhe, and at around 3.30 am the police team found out that Shaikh had committed the offence. DCP Nalawade said that swift action by the Saki Naka police on receipt of the tip-off helped in nabbing the accused before he could have fled away. We saved a lot of resources by intercepting him at Sakinaka junction in the middle of the night,” he said.

Saki Naka police senior inspector Gabaji Chimte said Shaikh has been handed over to the Turbhe police station where the case has been registered under the IPC section 302 (murder).

The victim stayed with her mother in GTB Nagar, while her teenage daughter is with her husband with whom she has got divorced. "The victim's body has been handed over to her family members who are in trauma. The probe is on to know whether Shaikh has pre-planned the murder," said senior inspector Daundkar.