A 27-year-old Mumbai-based man was today arrested after being picked up from Parbhani district in Maharashtra in connection with the murder of his 52-year-old American 'girlfriend' in a Bangkok hotel in 2012, police said today.
Acting on a tip-off, a trap was laid and the accused, Ritesh Sanghvi, a resident of Mumbai, who changed his looks to evade arrest since the murder in February 2012, was apprehended from his hideout in Gangakhed city in Parbhani district, police said.
Sanghvi was brought to Mumbai and placed under arrest today, said Shalini Sharma, police inspector with Crime Branch.
According to police, 52-year-old Wendy S Albano, an interior designer, had been found stabbed to death in 32-storey Fraser Suite Hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 11 in Bangkok on February 13, 2012.
Albano's body was found lying on the bathroom floor. She was stabbed in the chest several times and there were signs of strangulation around her neck. As per the hotel records, Sanghvi was also staying with her. Thailand police had said the woman was murdered a day before the body was found.
After coordinating with the security agencies following the murder, Mumbai police began searching for the accused. Upon enquiry, accused's father Narpatraj claimed he had registered a missing person complaint on February 8, 2012 at D B Marg Police Station here after his son could not be found, Sharma added.
Deputy Police Commissioner (Crime) Dhananjay Kulkarni said, "About a month ago, a special team had been formed to track down Sanghvi. Gathering information through technical surveillance and human intelligence, the accused was traced in Gangakhed city, where he was operating a mobile and accessories selling and repairing shop."
"During the interrogation, the accused claimed that the two had become friends through chats on Facebook in 2010 and the lady had even visited Mumbai thereafter twice to meet Sanghvi," Kulkarni said.
