The police said Dhanalakshmi initially told them that Sapna had been drunk and accidentally fell in the bathroom, resulting in her death.
Published: August 20, 2026, 5:09 PM IST
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The police alleged that the accused, Dhanalakshmi Ganji, paid Rs 3 lakh to four people to murder her daughter-in-lawRepresentational image
In a shocking incident, a 65-year-old woman was arrested in Mumbai for plotting the murder of her daughter-in-law and paying Rs 3 lakh to her domestic help and the helper’s family to execute the crimeThe woman, identified as Sapna Ganji, was found dead at her Ghatkopar residence in Mumbai last week.
The police alleged that the accused, Dhanalakshmi Ganji, paid Rs 3 lakh to four people, including her househelp, to murder SapnaAfter the killing, she allegedly tried to tamper with evidence and portray the death as an accidentAccording to an NDTV report, around midnight, Sapna’s father-in-law called her father and claimed that she had “fallen in the bathroom and suffered a serious head injury.”
What raised victim’s family’s suspicions?
Sapna’s father reached the hospital to find that doctors had already declared her deadHowever, he noticed a deep wound on her head and assault marks on her face, neck and shouldersConvinced that she may not have died in an accident, he approached the police and lodged a complaint.
According to police, Dhanalakshmi first told investigators that Sapna was intoxicated and had accidentally fallen in the bathroom, resulting in her deathThe probe later allegedly revealed that she had enlisted four people to murder Sapna.
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The police alleged that Dhanalakshmi was angry over a domestic violence case filed by Sapna against her in-laws, which may have led to the murderSapna married Pramod Ganji in 2013, and the marriage was reportedly peaceful for the first two yearsPolice said Pramod, his parents, and two brothers later allegedly subjected her to mental and physical harassment.
Sapna subsequently filed a case against her in-laws, accusing them of domestic violence, outraging modesty, assault and death threatsThe case had been pending before the courtIn August 2024, Pramod and his family allegedly apologised to Sapna and promised not to trouble her againFollowing the agreement, Sapna and her husband moved into a separate house in Vikhroli before eventually returning to their residence in Ghatkopar.
How many have been arrested?
Police have arrested five people in connection with the case so farThey include Dhanalakshmi Ganji, her househelp Mangalabai Suresh Jadhav, Mangalabai’s husband Suresh Ganpat Jadhav, and their two children, Shivani Suresh Jadhav and Sajan Suresh Jadhav.
