Bodies of artist Hema and lawyer found in drain

In what appears to be a case of calculated murder, the bodies of Hema Upadhyay and Harsh Bhambani were found wrapped in plastic sheets, in a drain in Mumbai. The bodies were identified and three people have been detained in connection with the case.

The lawyer, 65-year-old Harsh Bhambani, had represented Hema, 43, in a harassment case that she had filed in 2013 against her estranged husband, well-known artist Chintan Upadhyay. The two were reported missing since Friday. In her complaint, she had accused him of painting obscene sketches on the walls of her room in their Mumbai apartment. The couple got married in 1998 and filed for divorce in 2010.

Police sources said the bodies were found on Saturday evening stuffed in cardboard boxes, and that it seemed both of them were strangulated. “The bodies were tied and packed, sewed in a box. The bodies have been sent for an autopsy,” said deputy commissioner of police Dhananjay Kulkarni.

Upadhyay’s body was found with her hands tied and both the bodies were stripped to their undergarments, sources added. Sources also said the bodies were not in a decomposed state and that it was possible they were murdered quite recently. Deputy commissioner of police Vikram Deshmane said a case of murder has been registered against unknown persons.

Hema Upadhyay had won annual awards from the Gujarat Lalit Kala Akademi and the national Lalit Kala Akademi, and was a recipient of a national scholarship from the Ministry of Human Resources.