(This story originally appeared in on Jan 9, 2017)

While adultery isn’t uncommon, it’s the lurid drama that has made this case quite the affair to remember. It wasn’t just that the lover entered the Shukrawar Peth home of a couple disguised in a woman’s nightgown and scarf for a romantic liaison with the wife, but also that he attempted to drug the already sleeping husband with a rag soaked in a chloroform- like substance — unluckily for him, he got caught in the process, resulting in a scuffle that left the irate spouse holding a dupatta and the realisation that his assailant was one of his former close friends.Khadak police on Saturday arrested 44-year-old Rajesh Ghisulal Mehta, a small-time developer and resident of Gangadham Chowk in Bibwewadi. The complainant is a utensils trader, who stays in a bungalow along with his wife and two children. His friendship with Mehta often led to the latter visiting their home, and police now suspect that the same modus operandi was even used earlier to cuckold him.The complainant told police, “Recently, I came to know from our security guard that Mehta often visited our home in my absence. I then found out about the affair between my wife and friend , which had been going on for seven years whenever I was out of town.I warned Mehta never to come back to my house.”According to his suspicions, Mehta regularly sneaked into his home in drag, wearing a gown and dupatta to hide his identity from neighbours; he kept his lady love’s husband unconscious with a sedative-soaked rag, after which he would go ahead with the rendezvous.However, on Wednesday, a similar attempt was foiled when the trader woke up mid-nap and realised that someone was tapping a smelly rag near his nose. Alarmed, he tried to resist, unmasking the intruder only to reveal Mehta’s visage. Frightened that he had been discovered, the accused tried to flee, hurling abuses and punches, leaving behind both his mask and the incriminating rag.The husband elaborated, “I woke up early that day and went to the gym with my wife. When we returned, I decided to rest after breakfast. Around 11 am, when I was in deep sleep, a strong odour woke me. Under the impression that I was being robbed, I said, ‘Tum kaun ho, yahan kaise aaye, tumhe kya chahiye (who are you, why are you here, what do you want)’. But, he started slapping me and we began to scuffle. I somehow pushed him away and he ran into another bedroom and locked the door from inside. I saw my wife and asked her if she knew who this was, but she denied any knowledge of him. Suddenly, he sprang out and began running downstairs. I grappled with him and he tore my t-shirt. I was stunned to see he was in a night gown around this time. He escaped unmasked, and I saw it was Mehta.” He added that Mehta abused him and threatened him with consequences before driving off in his car. The complainant called his nephew soon after, but lost consciousness, probably due to the after effects of being drugged.The traumatised trader lodged a complaint at Khadak police station three days after the incident, and Mehta has now been booked under sections 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Mehta was produced before the holiday court on Sunday and remanded in police custody till January 10.Investigating officer sub-inspector Sanjay Gaikwad said, “The complainant was treated and on Saturday, he gave a statement before police. Over the description, we filed an FIR against Mehta and arrested him. We have seized the rag and torn gown as well as the car used during the crime. We will try to find out what chemical was used to make the complainant unconscious. Though the accused reportedly visited the house often in the husband’s absence, we are exploring if he had a specific motive on that day, and also looking at whether this modus operandi was used before.” Gaikwad added that they are probing how Mehta gained entry into the house, too.Senior advocate N D Patil, who is representing the complainant, shared, “The nature of the crime is very serious, so we have requested maximum police custody for the accused. It is needed to unearth the conspiracy. It could have been an attempt to kill the complainant. It appears that everything was preplanned. We will assist the police and prosecution and will try to apply IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) against the accused.”Advocate Amol Dange, who is representing Mehta, refuted all allegations and submitted in court, “None of these events took place. This is a false case, so there is no need for police custody of my client.”Maximum police custody is needed. We will try to apply IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) against the accused— Senior advocate N D Patil, representing the complainant