Mumbai: The autopsy conducted on Kritika Chaudhary, the small-time actress whose dead body was found at her residence on Monday evening, confirmed that she had been murdered. The report was released on Tuesday evening. Police sources have pegged the cause of death to be asphyxia, leading them to suspect that she had been strangled.
The police also discovered injury marks on the right side of her head, which may have been caused by a metal knuckle found near the decomposed body by the cops. Her boyfriend, who had allegedly arrived at the deceased’s flat on Saturday, is the prime suspect in the case.
According to sources in the Amboli police station, two men had visited Kritika’s flat late on Saturday. They were stopped by the building’s watchman, who escorted them up to Kritika’s flat as her phone was unreachable. The watchman is being questioned by the cops. The neighbours told this newspaper that she used to stay alone and was frequently visited by her friends from the industry. Shopkeepers from the area are also being questioned.
The police have also acquired the CCTV footage from the cameras installed at a temple situated outside the building, which will help them identify the prospective suspects. Speaking to The Asian Age, Pandit Abhimanyu, the temple priest said: “I had last seen her on Saturday and knew her very well. I had performed a puja at her house a few times and she was a Lord Shiva devotee. I am helping the police as much I can.”
Sources have revealed that Kritika was married in 2011, but it was short-lived. The police called her estranged husband in for questioning but apparently, he has not yet turned up.
Meanwhile, Mumbai police spokesperson DCP Rashmi Karandikar told The Asian Age, “The ADR has been converted to an FIR of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The weapon used is a fighter of steel. We are investigating the case and no arrests have been made yet.”
Box: Leads under police scanner
- The metal knuckle found near her body
- Strangulation marks on her neck
- Injuries on the body indicating a struggle
- The bed bathed in blood
- Kritika’s face was covered with a towel
- Her air conditioner was on at 19°c and the lights were on too
