Man arrested in Palghar for brutal murder: Wife beheaded and remains hidden in travel bag
The crime was uncovered two months later when a skull was found in a travel bag in Virar. Harish Hippargi, 49, was arrested for murdering his wife Utpala and disposing of her remains at various locations
Maharashtra Police have arrested a 49-year-old man from Palghar district for allegedly murdering his wife, decapitating her, and disposing of her remains at different locations. According to news agency PTI, the crime came to light two months after the incident when a skull was found inside a travel bag in Virar. Following an investigation that yielded crucial evidence linked to the murder, the accused, Harish Hippargi, was apprehended from Nalasopara East, on the outskirts of Mumbai.
Dispute over son led to murder
According to the police, Hippargi, who worked in the artificial jewelry industry, lived with his wife Utpala (51) and their 22-year-old son. The couple reportedly had frequent disputes, particularly concerning Utpala's son from a previous marriage. On January 8, during one such argument, Hippargi allegedly strangled Utpala to death. To conceal the crime, he took her body to Virar East, where he severed her head from the torso using an axe.
Accused misled son
Police stated that the accused then threw the torso into a drain, while he packed the severed head in a travel bag and abandoned it near the Peerkonda Dargah. To mislead his son, the accused claimed that Utpala had gone to her hometown in West Bengal. However, the crime was exposed on Friday when police officials recovered a skull from a travel bag in Virar. During the investigation, police found a bag from a jewelry shop in the 24 Parganas district of Bengal, which helped them trace Utpala's name in the customer records.
Police search for torso
Further investigation revealed that Utpala's phone had been switched off for the past two months. Hippargi had also gone into hiding, changed his residence, and deactivated his mobile number. After pursuing several leads, the police tracked him down to Rahmat Nagar in Nalasopara and arrested him late Friday night. As the murder investigation continues, authorities are now searching for Utpala's torso.