MUMBAI: A primary school

teacher

and her

were on Saturday sentenced to

life

imprisonment by Palghar sessions court for murdering her husband in July 2015. Thirty-four witnesses were examined during the trial.

The naked body of Sameer Pimple, then a 36-year-old teacher at a zilla parishad school, was found in the bathroom of their first floor Shri Heritage flat in Palghar on July 9, 2015. A case of accidental

death

was registered by Palghar police.

His wife, Samidha (34), who found the body and her lover, Santosh Sankhe (38), were arrested two weeks later, after an autopsy confirmed death due to strangulation. Samidha was out on bail a year ago but Sankhe stayed in Thane prison.

Palghar court judge S S Gulane found Samidha and Sankhe guilty of murder. The court relied on circumstantial evidence, including CCTV images of Samidha and Sankhe at a nearby mall few minutes after the crime. They were also fined Rs35,000 each.

The couple had married in 2006 and have a son, now 10. The couple reportedly fought over their incompatibility. Sameer knew about Samidha’s affair with Sankhe, a family friend and car rental businessman.

She took a half day off from work on the pretext of paying her son’s fees on July 9 but came home. Sameer had taken a day off. Offering to perform sadomasochism sex, she used a packaging tape to tie his limbs and mouth. The son was at school.

Sankhe, who was waiting outside, entered and used a plastic bag to suffocate Sameer to death. Samidha held his legs, they undressed Sameer and placed the body in the bathroom. They kept the tap open and left the house. She returned later and informed her in-laws and police.

Public prosecutor Deepak Tare said circumstantial evidence, including call data records, nailed them. Tare said the plastic bag and tape used for the crime were burnt by the two. He said that while Samidha maintained that her husband had suffered a stroke, CCTV footage showed her leaving the house 10 minutes after returning from work. Samidha and Sankhe were also seen in a nearby mall soon after the crime. Tare said the couple’s son was not examined during the trial.