A Mumbai court on Tuesday remanded in police custody till October 22 Muzammil Sayed, the prime accused in the killing of an upcoming model and actress from Rajasthan, officials said.
The victim, Mansi Dixit, 20, hailing from Kota, was closely known to the accused and had visited his house in Malad suburb of north-west Mumbai late on Monday night, police said.
She had come to Mumbai to try her luck in Bollywood and lived in a rented flat in Andheri after managing to secure small roles in some films and also some modelling assignments. She came in contact with Sayed through social media, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-11) S.P. Nishandar.
On Monday evening, Sayed – who hails from Hyderabad – had called her to his flat in Oshiwara where they reportedly had a heated argument over some business issues.
Apparently in a fit of rage, he strangled Dixit with a rope and killed her. Then, he stuffed her body in a large bag and called for a cab to the Mumbai international airport.
As the cab was proceeding to the airport, Sayed asked the driver to turn and go to the Mindspace locality of Malad west, which is an isolated area with lots of mangroves.
Then, claiming he would take an autorickshaw, he left the cab and dragged the heavy bag towards a dark secluded spot in the thick marshy bushes.
He then hailed an autorickshaw and left the spot, but the cab driver, who was still around, suspected some mischief and called the police.
A team of Bangur Nagar Police rushed to the spot and opened the bag to recover Dixit’s body tied with a rope inside.
The police launched a manhunt for Sayed and tracked him down within four hours of the crime early on Tuesday morning as he was preparing to flee the city.
He has been charged with murder and other offences under the Indian Penal Code and sent to police custody for a week.
Though Sayed has confessed to the crime, he has not yet revealed the motive behind Dixit’s killing, which is being probed, said Nishandar.
