A 40-year-old man from Kolhapur was arrested on July 28 after Thane police discovered a missing woman's body inside the boot of his vehicle in Bhiwandi. According to a Narpoli police officer, the victim, Surekha Shivaji Are, 40, had been missing for two days.

Kolhapur police were investigating her disappearance when Narpoli police uncovered her body during a search. Preliminary findings indicate she was strangled to death. The accused, Prakash Anande Patil, hails from the same village — Shirgaon — as the victim, and the two were known to each other. Kolhapur police are currently investigating the motive behind the murder.