Times of India
Mumbai, May 24: Naval lieutenant Jerome Mathew told investigators on Thursday that the reason he had murdered media executive Neeraj Grover was because he had found him nude in his girlfriend’s Malad home. Mathew and his girlfriend, Kannada actress Maria Susairaj, have been arrested for killing Grover and disposing of the body in the jungles of Manor after stuffing the chopped body parts into three bags.
Mathew said that when he had phoned Susairaj on May 6, she told him that Grover was helping her move into her new apartment at Dheeraj Solitaire building and would leave in a few hours. But when Mathew flew into Mumbai the next morning, he was shocked when Susairaj opened the door in a skimpy outfit. Mathew walked straight into her bedroom and found Grover in the nude.
“Mathew was consumed with jealousy and rage as he realised what was happening behind his back. He headed straight to the kitchen and returned with a knife. The two men had a scuffle and Mathew eventually overpowered Grover, stabbing him several times,’’ a senior crime branch officer said. Mathew then slapped Susairaj hard across her face, according to the police.
Cops in soup for trying to sell pics
Police chief Hasan Gafoor has ordered a high-level probe into allegations that two Malad police officers had tried to sell the pictures of Neeraj Grover murder accused Maria Monica Susairaj and Jerome Mathew to the media for Rs 5,000 each.
After murder, actor had sex with boyfriend
Mumbai: Neeraj Grover murder accused lieutenant Jerome Matthew told investigators on Thursday that his girlfriend, Kannada actress Maria Monica Susairaj, had told him that she had not slept with Grover willingly. The couple then had consensual sex twice in the same flat, even as the body lay in a pool of blood, police said, refuting claims that Mathew had raped her after the murder.
“Mathew had maintained a stiff silence ever since he was brought to Mumbai from Kochi’s navy headquarters. He broke down only late on Thursday night, when he was brought to the crime branch for interrogation. He has been weeping for hours,’’ an officer said.
Mathew had never seen nor spoken to Grover before that fatal run in. Matthew was taught techniques of man-to-man combat and how to use a dagger as part of his naval training. He put his skills to use to overpower Grover.
Susairaj used her credit card to shop for a knife and three bags from a local mall, since she had run out of cash, police said. Matthew then used this new knife to chop Grover’s body to pieces and stuff it into the three bags.
Incidentally, crime branch chief, Rakesh Maria, had smelt a rat when he read a report in the TOI about Grover going missing. “Grover had a stable career and a good life. There seemed a low probability of his going missing just like that,’’ Maria said. Grover’s parents, who came down from UP to look for their missing son, met Maria on May 9. Barely three days later, Susairaj herself came to meet Maria with her brother and three of Grover’s friends. “She requested me to look into the case personally. But I told her upfront that she was my ‘suspect number 1’. She was taken aback at that time. But after her arrest, she admitted to her role in the crime,’’ he said.
Maria added that Mathew had a good academic background—he had scored 90% marks in his SSC and HSC. He had also won a gold medal in swimming at the university level. He has been stripped of his medals and uniform by the navy.
HOW THE EVENTS UNFURLED
MAY 6
9.30 pm
Maria Susairaj starts shifting her luggage to her new flat in Dheeraj Solitaire building at Malad. Her friend Neeraj Grover who stays in seven bungalows, gets a call from her asking for assitance.
10 pm
Grover reaches her flat at Dheeraj Solitaire at Chincholi Bunder.
10.30 pm
Susairaj receives a call from Mathew. Mathew hears Grover’s voice in the background and asks her about his presence in the flat. Susairaj replies that he was helping her in shifting.
11.30 pm
A restless Mathew again calls her and asks to throw Grover out of the house. Susairaj switches off the mobile phone.
MAY 7
7.30 am
The door bell rings. Susairaj opens the door, Mathew rushes in to see Grover lying naked on the bed. Mathew abuses him and wakes him up and kicks him. A fight ensues and Mathew gets a kitchen knife and stabs Grover repeatedly.
8.30 am
Mathew and Susairaj have sex.
9 am
They discuss about ways of disposal of the body. They decide to chop the body, stuff it in bags and dispose it in a remote location. They again have sex.
10.30 am
On Mathew’s instructions, Susairaj goes to Hypercity mall and gets three sports bags and a big knife.
11 am
Susairaj returns and Mathew cuts the body into pieces in the bathroom. In the next three hours, both of them stuff it in three bags.
2 pm
They go to a nearby restaurant, have lunch and returns at 3 pm. They also got her friend Kiran Shreyas’ Santro car to dispose the body. They then get into the process of cleaning the house of blood stains.
6 pm
They leave home and on they way decided to burn the body and dump it in the jungles of Manor. On the way, they bought petrol.
7.30pm
They reach Manor, burn the body and returned home.
9.30pm
They reach home and again had sex.
MAY 8
12.30 am
Mathew takes a flight to Kochi. Susairaj goes to the Malad police station lodge a missing persons complaint.
MAY 9
After Grover failed to answer his mobile for two days, Amarnath Grover meets joint commissioner of police (crime) Rakesh Maria.
MAY 12
Susairaj, her brother and Grover’s three friends meet Rakesh Maria and requests to speed up the probe.
MAY 17
The police began grilling Susairaj as she was the last person who had met Grover.
MAY 20
Susairaj breaks down during questioning and confesses to the crime. She is arrested.
MAY 21
Mathew is arrested from the Kochi navy headquarters.