‘Love triangle’ and cruel murder in 5-star hotel

Guwahati: A man and a woman from Kolkata were arrested hours after they had allegedly murdered a Pune man in a five-star hotel in Guwahati, the Assam Police said on Monday.

According to the police, the couple, Anjali Shaw and her lover, Bikash Shaw, allegedly killed Anjali’s former partner Sandip Kambli, 42, to retrieve her intimate pictures from him.

The couple was arrested hours before they were about to fly to Kolkata.

According to the police, Sandip Kambli worked as a car dealer in Pune. He developed a relationship with Anjali Shaw, who worked at a restaurant at Kolkata airport. However, Anjali was already in a relationship with another man, Bikash Shaw.

Kambli was pressuring Anjali to marry him, even as she had cut all ties with him. “The woman ended the relationship with him, but he became possessive and kept pursuing her. The woman already had an affair with a man called Bikash Shaw,” said Diganta Borah, Guwahati Police Commissioner.

Anjali told Bikash about Kambli’s advances and their intimate photographs taken by him. They then devised a plan to confront Kambli and retrieve the pictures.

Anjali called Sandip to meet in Guwahati on February 4, where he booked a room at a hotel for them. Bikash also booked a separate room at the same hotel.

Bikash confronted Kambli and tried to get rid of his mobile which had Anjali’s intimate pictures. Bikash and Kambli engaged in a physical fight that left the latter unconscious.

In a state of panic, Bikash and Anjali fled the scene.

“At around 2.30 pm, there was some scuffle between Bikash and Kambli. The couple wanted to get the victim’s mobile phone, which contained some intimate photographs of Anjali and Sandip Kambli,” the police official said.

“During the scuffle, Sandip sustained some injuries and collapsed. He later died,” the cop added.

The hotel staff promptly notified the authorities, leading to a swift police response. The police reviewed CCTV footage, guest lists, and airport passenger manifests and located the duo.

They arrested Bikash and Anjali near Azara at around 6.30 pm, just hours before the suspects’ flight to Kolkata Tuesday night at 9.15 pm.

Further investigation is underway.