In a chilling case that unfolded across state lines, Raigad Police cracked the murder of a woman whose body was found stuffed in a pink trolley bag near the Mumbai–Pune railway track in Thakurwadi village. The police arrested her two flatmates after scanning over 250 CCTV footages and tracking them down to Bengaluru.
Trolley Bag Discovery Sparks Murder Probe
On the morning of April 16, railway workers discovered a pink “TRAVELHUB” trolley bag near pole number 112/116 on the downline tracks. Inside was the decomposed body of a woman—her face wrapped in plastic, and limbs tied with nylon ropes, indicating a clear attempt to conceal the crime. The victim remained unidentified at the time.
A case was registered at Karjat Police Station based on a complaint filed by Woman Police Constable Chhaya Dilip Chavan of the Pune Railway Police. Police invoked Sections 103(1) and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Crackdown Through CCTV and Train Data
Under the leadership of Superintendent of Police Somanath Gharge, Additional SP Abhijeet Shivthare, and Deputy Divisional Police Officer D.D. Tele, police teams from Karjat and Neral began a relentless investigation. They examined around 250 CCTV footages from key railway stations including CSMT, Dadar, Thane, Kalyan, Panvel, Karjat, and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT).
One crucial footage showed a man dragging a pink trolley bag at LTT’s Platform No. 4. Later footage captured the same man with a woman boarding Train No. 11013 Mumbai–Coimbatore Express in Coach A-1 on April 15 at 10:17 p.m.
Using railway reservation records and mobile phone data, the police identified two suspects. Although their tickets were to Coimbatore, call data revealed they got off in Bengaluru.
Arrest in Bengaluru
A police team from Neral rushed to Bengaluru, where CCTV footage at KSR Bengaluru City Station showed the pair deboarding on April 16 at 8:56 p.m.—without the trolley bag. With the help of technical surveillance, the police traced and arrested both suspects.
Victim Identified, Accused Confess
The accused were identified as 26-year-old V. Vijaykumar Venkatesh, a Mechanical Engineer recently hired with a ₹22 lakh annual package, and 24-year-old T. Yashaswini Raja Tatikolu, an MSc graduate employed at an MNC. Both hailed from Andhra Pradesh.
They confessed to murdering their 34-year-old flatmate, Dhanalakshmi Yarrappa Reddy, a native of Hummappapuram, Raptadu in Andhra Pradesh. The trio shared a rented flat in Powai, Mumbai. Internal disputes reportedly led to the brutal killing.
“The accused had first smothered the victim and then strangulated her,” confirmed Inspector Surendra Garad from Karjat Police Station. “We are yet to identify the main motive behind the murder,” he added.
The duo has been brought to Karjat and presented before a magistrate, who has remanded them in police custody till May 16.
