If my uncle and relatives had found out that my mother was dead, they would have thrown me out of my Lalbaug home and appropriated my parents’ bank balance and property. That’s why I cooked up a story of my mother’s Kanpur visit,” matricide accused Rimple Jain, 24, told the Sewri court on Monday. Rimple continued to deny killing her 55-year-old mother, Veena. Meanwhile, the police probe revealed that Rimple had decided to dispose of the body and had bought a marble cutter within six hours of her mother’s alleged fall.

Rimple was produced in court by the Kalachowkie police after her police custody came to an end. Asked by an additional magistrate whether she wanted to say something, the accused made some startling claims in a firm voice. “My uncle brought my mother and me to Lalbaug in 2007 as he had got a flat in a nearby complex. My mother and I fought often, but the fights were not of a serious nature. I have not murdered my mother,” Rimple said.