Papa ki Pari

LEGAL HISTORY CORNER  Issue 5: September 2021

Papa Ki Pari 

Horrifying Story

This case is one of the most shocking murders of Bombay. A suitcase was washed ashore behind the Mahim Dargah on 2 December 2019.  On opening the suitcase, the contents were enough to horrify even the most stone-hearted.

The suitcase was filled with body parts, a hand, a leg and male genitals! It also contained a pair of trousers, a white shirt and a red half-sleeved sweater.

The Mahim Branch Police got into action and sent the body parts for forensic examination. At the same time, the Crime Branch Unit V was instructed to make parallel inquiries. The inquiries kept reaching a dead end as they were investigating the murder of an “unknown male.”

ABSENCE OF CLUES

Finding the identity of the murdered man was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The first clue that the Police found was on the collar of the shirt stuffed in the suitcase. The inside of the collar had a label that read “Almo Men’s Wear.” So, the detectives reached this tailoring shop in Kurla. The owner went through all his bills for the last 100 days.

On going through the tailor’s bills, the investigation team identified one of the tailor’s customers who had ordered that description of a shirt. They made their way to the house of that individual but found him hale and hearty and very much in possession of the shirt tailored by Almo Men’s Wear. They realized they were on the wrong track.

Bombay Police and Crime Branch are second to none. On further going through all the tailoring shop bills they found another probable customer by the name of Bennett who could have ordered the shirt.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Armed with just the name of Bennett which could be a first name or last name the police started the search for a Bennett on social media. They found a man by the name of Bennett Rebello. What strengthened their belief was a picture on his Facebook where the man was wearing the red half-sleeved sweater found in the suitcase. He was a 59 year old Vakola based guitarist.

Now the police were hot on their trail. Detectives posing as Bennett Rebello’s friends were sent out to his residential area in Santacruz. Neighbours informed the “friends” they hadn’t seen Bennett in several days and that he lives with his 19 year old adopted daughter.

The police then questioned the adopted daughter, who claimed Bennett had gone to Canada, but she had no answers as to why he had gone there, where he was staying in Canada, with whom he had gone and when he would return. This made the investigating Team very suspicious. After being questioned for hours the girl broke down and admitted that she had murdered Bennett. Evidently, the murder was pre-planned.

MURDER MOST BRUTAL

The police found that on 26 November the 19 year old girl Aradhya Patil, along with her 16 year old boyfriend beat Bennett with sticks and then stabbed him to death. "Papa ki Pari’ had murdered her father. The two sold his phone and with that money bought four meat cleavers. In a gruesome act, they kept hacking his body into pieces. They lived in that house and carried out the heinous act for three days. They kept freshening the room with air fresheners then packed the parts in three suitcases and on 1st December threw the suitcases in the Mithi river flowing across Vakola. One of the suitcases washed ashore at Mahim Dargah. Hours after the murder she wrote a note in English and Hindi in a notebook “Dad I am sorry, I am really sorry, really really sorry. I am a bad girl.”

MOTIVE FOR MURDER

During questioning the girl claimed she murdered Bennett because he was exploiting her sexually. This was never verified. She had run away from home when she was 14 and started living in Bennett’s house. He did not like her coming home late and her relationship with her boyfriend. It seems Bennett had promised her his house upon his death, which seems to be the real motive for the murder.

Both were charged for murder and destruction of evidence under the Indian penal code. Escorted by the crime branch the girl ironically sporting a T-shirt with the print "Papa Ki Pari" was handed to Mahim Police. Her boyfriend was sent to a Juvenile Remand Home in Dongri. 

Photo 1: Aradhya and Bennett. Photo 2: Aradhya escorted by Crime Branch