Man beats sister to death

Mumbai, March 12: A 38-year-old man was arrested by the Saki Naka police on Saturday for murdering his elder sister by thrashing her at his residence in Chandivli.

The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon, following which the victim was hospitalized and died on Friday. The police said the accused, Pandhari Rasam, was undergoing psychiatric treatment for mental illness. His sister, Mandakini (45), was a divorcee and was residing in Pandhari's house.

Pandhari was a contractual labourer while Mandakini contributed to the family income by working as a maid. The brother-sister duo stayed at Sangharsh Nagar in Chandivli near Saki Naka.

On Wednesday, around 2pm, Pandhari and Mandakini had an altercation over a domestic issue. An agitated Pandhari started assaulting his sister. An injured Mandakini collapsed on the floor. "Watching his sister lose consciousness, Pandhari got worried. He rushed her to Sion Hospital and also summoned a cousin, Nandkishore Rane (45), to the hospital," said a police official.

For two days, Mandakini fought for her life but succumbed to her injuries on Friday. The Sion Hospital authorities immediately contacted the Saki Naka police who registered a case of murder. The police conducted a preliminary probe into the matter, before picking up Pandhari from his residence on Saturday. Rane, his cousin, is the complainant in the murder case. Pandhari told the police that he suffered from epileptic fits whenever he lost control over his actions, due to his mental ailment. He admitted to having thrashed his sister mercilessly, causing her death. However, he added that he did not intend to kill her and his actions were a consequence of epileptic fits. The police are investigating his claim.

"We have found documents which show that Pandhari was undergoing psychiatric treatment. We are probing whether he was unstable at the time of the incident," said a senior official.

Pandhari will be produced before a metropolitan court on Monday.

Pandhari Rasam (the accused) was undergoing psychiatric treatment for mental illness. He allegedly murdered his elder sister by thrashing her at his residence in Chandivli, the police said.