MUMBAI: In a shocking incident, a Nagpur-based journalist’s mother and daughter were found murdered on Sunday morning. The police claimed to have arrested the accused. The bodies of Usha Kamble, 52, and 18-month-old Rashi, the mother and daughter of Ravikant Kamble, a crime reporter with Nagpur Times, were discovered with their throats slit under a culvert in Sitabuldi area of Nagpur at around 10.30 am. They had been missing since Saturday evening.
“It is suspected that they were killed with a sharp weapon by unidentified persons,” a police officer said.
The police claimed to have solved the case after arresting a shopkeeper. The two victims had gone to a jeweller’s shop and were last seen at a grocery shop. The police detained two people, including the grocer, who was later arrested.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Nilesh Bharne said Usha Kamble was into money-lending.
“Usha, along with her granddaughter, went to a jewellery shop near her house around 5.30 pm yesterday (Saturday). Her husband tried calling her when they didn’t return for quite some time, but her mobile phone was switched off. Around 10 pm, her son informed the police when he returned from his work,” Bharne said.
Police said the angles of personal enmity and financial disputes were being probed.
The incident has come as an embarrassment for the Maharashtra government since Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis holds the home portfolio and hails from Nagpur.
“Police should ensure that the accused are punished in a manner which proves a deterrent against carrying out such gruesome murders. We stand in solidarity with the affected family,” the Mumbai Press Club said in a statement.