Bizman murder: Cops checking call records

The Santacruz police are sceptical whether any other person colluded with Purity Coutinho, alias Ronita, who allegedly strangled a Santacruz-based businessman, Tilakraj Rajput, to death inside his Mahendra XUV late on Sunday night.

The police have been scrutinising call data records of Coutinho, who had an affair with Rajput.

“After three days of investigation and checking call data records of Coutinho, we did not find involvement of any other person helping in the murder,” said senior inspector Shantanu Pawar of the Santacruz police station. “As per the preliminary investigation, it appears that Rajput was heavily drunk and could not retaliate when attacked,” said another official.

During interrogation, Coutinho confessed to have killed Rajput by strangling him with her dupatta and denied other’s involvement.

Ronita worked as a receptionist at a popular hotel in Khar. Prior to this, she was employed with another hotel and quit the job one-and-a-half years ago. Rajput ran a business of laundry service for hotels. After investigation, the police learnt that Rajput and Coutinho had met each other at a hotel where she used to work six years ago.

Coutinho got married around a year ago to a housekeeping staff, who works in a multi-cuisine restaurant chain. But she was staying in Vile Parle with her elder brother and his family. When the police quizzed her about the two separate places of residence, Coutinho told police that her husband does not have a proper accommodation.

The police also questioned Coutinho’s husband and a few other people. The husband told police that he was not aware of her affair with Rajput.