An elderly woman living by herself was found brutally murdered in her residence at Shivaji Park in Central Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon. The police suspects it to be a case of robbery with murder, but did not have any leads till late night.
According to the Shivaji Park police, the murder incident came to light when the woman’s domestic help reported for work as usual and saw her dead. The deceased, Beleza Cardoz (58), was found on her sofa with blood oozing from her head. She had been living alone for close to a year in Louis Court building near MTNL building in Shivaji park area.
DCP, zone V, Mahesh Patil said, “We suspect robbery could be a possible motive. The woman was seated when the accused hit her on the head. We are probing all angles.” Beleza’s husband is said to be a captain in the Merchant Navy. The couple has a son and a daughter and both are settled abroad. Her domestic help, Mangalbai Surve, started screaming and asking for help after seeing Beleza and neighbours rushed her to Hinduja Hospital where she was pronounced dead by a doctor.
A sharp weapon has been found from the scene of crime which the police suspect was used to commit the crime. Preliminary inquiry has led the police to believe Beleza was murdered after 10.30 pm as she was seen by neighbours prior to it while she was feeding the dogs and cats in the area. She was an animal lover. Unfortunately, the building does not have any CCTV surveillance and the watchman comes only at night.
A police source, requesting anonymity said, “We have found out from neighbours that some renovation work was going on in her house. We are probing to find out if a labourer carried out the crime. The assailant was trying to break the cupboard, but couldn’t succeed. It is difficult to ascertain if there has been a robbery, as we don’t know if anything has been stolen. We have intimated her family members and things will be clear on their return.”
