The Naya Nagar police in Mira Road were approached by the three elder sisters of Saraswati Vaidya after reading about her murder. The sisters, who reside in Mumbai, stated that their youngest sister had married Manoj Sane, 56, in a temple and lived in Borivli initially. They had visited the couple in Borivli but not in their Mira Road residence. Sane rented a flat in Geeta Akashdeep building three years ago. Although the couple did not interact with neighbors much, they believed Sane and Vaidya to be husband and wife. The couple had attended an annual pooja in the building. The sisters informed the police that neither Vaidya nor any of them had visited Sane’s family home in Babhai Naka, Borivli (west). Due to their age difference, Vaidya would often tell people that Sane was her maternal uncle. She had visited her orphanage, Jankibai Apte Balikashram, a few years ago to obtain a certificate of her stay there. She informed the staff that she lived with her uncle, who had a business. The police will match the sisters’ DNA samples with that of Vaidya to confirm her identity. The body parts are being forensically examined at J J Hospital and will be handed over to the sisters once the DNA report confirms Vaidya’s identity. The chainsaw used to cut the body was purchased from a hardware store in Bhayander (East) on June 4. Sane returned to the shop hours later to fix the chain that had slipped. The shop owner could not recall when Sane bought the chainsaw but remembers the repair. Domestic violence is not being ruled out as assault marks were found on portions of the limbs seized by the police. The police are investigating if Sane would lock the door of the flat from outside when he left for work. While the door was mostly locked, neighbors rarely saw Vaidya leave with Sane. Sane’s relatives’ statements will also be recorded by the police. His uncle Madhukar Sane, who lives in Sane Residency, informed the cops that he did not know anything about Vaidya. Madhukar used to wave at Manoj when he passed by the ration shop where he worked. Sane has a flat in the building, which has been let out. The police state that Sane has been changing his statements. He claimed to be suffering from a life-threatening illness, but no medical documents to support his claim have been found in his flat. Sane told the investigators that he planned to commit suicide after disposing of the body parts. Some of the body parts are suspected to have been carried in a backpack before being dumped, but the exact spots are still unknown.
