Police have arrested a 32-year-old woman, her paramour and a friend for allegedly killing her husband in Maharashtra`s Thane district, an official said on Thursday.
The body of the 38-year-old victim was found in a cab Mankoli Naka in Bhiwandi town here on August 1, Narpoli police station`s senior inspector Maloji Shinde said.
The police had then registered a case against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), based on a complaint made by his wife.
According to police, the victim earlier worked as a manager in a powerloom factory, but lost his job during the coronavirus-induced lockdown following which he started working as a driver with a cab aggregator.
Both the victim and his wife had extra-marital affairs. The woman wanted divorce from her husband, but he objected to her affair, the police official said.
He further said the woman allegedly hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her husband and took the help of her friend and paramour.
The trio also allegedly took the assistance of two contract killers to eliminate the victim, he said, adding that for this, the woman arranged for a payment of Rs 1 lakh by selling her jewellery.
On the night of July 31, they hired a cab to go to Mumbai along with the victim. Enroute, at Mankoli, the two contract killers allegedly strangulated the victim to death. They abandoned the body in the car and fled, the official said.
The woman, her paramour and her friend were arrested on Wednesday, while hunt was on for the two contract killers, the official said.
The three arrested accused have been remanded in police custody till August 13, the police said.