A shocking twist emerges in the case of an IT professional who stabbed his wife and fled to Pune. Rakesh Khedekar, after allegedly stabbing his wife Gauri six times, believed her to be dead and packed her in a suitcase, all while she was still breathing. Still conscious, Gauri gasped for air, trapped inside the suitcase while Rakesh spoke to her, unaware of her struggle. The case has only revealed more astonishing details.
Rakesh and Gauri, originally from Maharashtra, married two years ago. Despite a love marriage, constant petty arguments marked their relationship since relocating to Bengaluru for work two months ago. However, no one predicted these quarrels might one day lead to a tragedy.
On the night of March 26, the couple clashed again, with Gauri allegedly attacking Rakesh in a fit of rage. This time, Rakesh unexpectedly retaliated, grabbing a knife from the kitchen and launching a frenzied attack. Gauri soon lay unconscious on the floor, succumbing to her injuries.
In the aftermath, Rakesh struggled to comprehend the events. His arguments with Gauri had come to a permanent end as she was forever out of reach. Desperate to dispose of her body, he concocted a plan to pack her in a suitcase and dispose of it, fabricating a missing persons story.
Rakesh quickly emptied a large suitcase, stuffing Gauri’s body inside. He intended to leave that night, but fate intervened; the suitcase handle broke, making it impossible to discreetly transport the heavy load. He spent the night sitting by the suitcase, talking to what he thought was Gauri's lifeless body.
Before dawn on March 27, Rakesh decided to abandon Gauri in the packed suitcase and headed to his hometown Pune. As for what happened next, how his plan unraveled, and details of Gauri’s body, we'll unfold those stories shortly. But first, let’s explore the investigation’s mind-boggling discoveries.
Source: aajtak
First Revelation: Gauri Was Alive in the Suitcase
When the police discovered Gauri’s body in the Bengaluru apartment, they were stunned by the forensic results. Mucus was found in the suitcase, a sign typical of a living person attempting to breathe, which refuted Rakesh’s belief of her death.
Second Revelation: The Broken Handle Changed the Plan
Rakesh's plan to dispose of Gauri's body remained unrealized due to the broken suitcase handle. Upon investigation, police and forensic experts noticed the broken handle with nuts and bolts scattered around, suggesting Rakesh was thwarted in his disposal efforts.
Third Revelation: Gauri Was Stabbed Six Times
The post-mortem revealed six stab wounds on Gauri, with three in the neck and three in the abdomen, causing significant blood loss. However, the exact cause of death, whether asphyxiation or blood loss, remains undisclosed.
Source: aajtak
Now, how was this high-profile and enigmatic murder case uncovered?
On Thursday evening, around 5:30 PM, Bengaluru police received a call about a woman found with a noose in the neck in her rental home, her husband reportedly in Maharashtra. Viewing it as a possible suicide or suspicious death, police swiftly responded. A team from Hulimavu police station arrived at the reported address.
The door was locked from the inside, and upon gaining entry and searching the premises, they spotted a suitcase in the bathroom—a location raising suspicions. Opening the suitcase, officers discovered a woman's body inside, marred with knife wounds.
The deceased was identified by the landlord as Gauri Anil Sambrekar. Gauri, like her husband Rakesh Khedekar, hailed from Maharashtra and had relocated to Bengaluru months prior. While Rakesh worked at a software company, Gauri held a degree in mass media and communication.
The question loomed—who killed Gauri? Her husband Rakesh or someone else? The landlord informed that Rakesh had himself, via someone, informed his wife’s death over the phone. Despite being in Maharashtra, Rakesh knew about the incident. As Pune police advanced their investigation, Rakesh was detained for Gauri’s murder.
Source: aajtak
On Thursday, Rakesh informed not only his landlord in Bengaluru but also called his father, asking him to relay the message to Gauri’s family that he had killed her and packed her body in a suitcase kept in their Bengaluru house. Gauri's family then reported the incident to Pune police.
Pune police had launched a search for Rakesh, placing his phone under surveillance. In Satara, amidst traffic, witnesses noticed a man unconscious at a car’s wheel. The individual, found half-conscious outside a Satara police station, was reported, and he was rushed to Pune's Sassoon Hospital.
It turned out that the man had ingested something poisonous. Identified as Rakesh Ambekar, implicated in his wife's murder, he was the individual Pune police were chasing. Meanwhile, Bengaluru police, aiming to uncover the truth behind Gauri's murder, found their suspect in Pune.
Upon coordinating with Pune police, Rakesh recounted the story. Married to Gauri two years prior after a love marriage, Rakesh worked for a software company, and Gauri had recently quit her job, staying home as Rakesh worked remotely.
Source: aajtak
Tensions rose during their time together, escalating to the night of March 26, where an argument over dinner turned violent. Rakesh stabbed Gauri, later deciding to abandon her suitcase-packed body and drive to Pune instead.
Gauri was related to Rakesh as his cousin, being his aunt’s daughter. Rakesh's family mentioned Gauri’s temperamental nature and frequent arguments with Rakesh. When questioned about prior knowledge of her temper, Rakesh's father said they consented to marriage since the couple was adamant in their love.
Within two years of marriage, love wilted, giving way to animosity, ultimately leading to this grim episode. Yet, Bengaluru’s tale of marital strife and homicide doesn’t end here. Merely five days earlier, a wife, with her mother’s aid, murdered her husband by slitting his throat and vanished. The victim, Loknath Singh, a property dealer, was found dead in a car in Bengaluru.
