Mumbai artist, her lawyer found dead in cardboard boxes; husband quizzed

Well-known painter and installation artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harish Bhambhani were found murdered in a Mumbai suburb, with their bodies stuffed inside cardboard containers, police said on Sunday.

The bodies of Hema (43) and Bhambhani (65), their hands and feet tied with ropes, were recovered from near a drain in Kandivali last night, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police officer involved in the probe said the bodies were in “semi-naked” condition.

Hema was estranged from her husband Chintan Upadhyay, also a painter, and the couple was locked in bitter divorce proceedings since 2010. Police questioned Chintan Upadhyay, besides her driver and domestic servants, Kulkarni said, clarifying nobody has been detained so far in the case.

“Police have not detained anybody yet and are only making inquiry. Police are quizzing those people who were in touch with Hema and her lawyer,” added Kulkarni. An earlier report attributed to police had said three persons had been detained. The bodies were stuffed inside cardboard boxes before being wrapped in plastic sheets that were sewn up, sources said. The bodies have been sent for autopsy and findings are awaited, they said.