Mumbai Double murder: Well-known artist, lawyer found dead

Then, Bhambhani had represented her case and now sources said that her husband is being examined as a suspect in the double murder case.

Bodies of artist Hema Upadhyay and her lawyer Harsh Bhambani have been found in a drain in Mumbai’s Kandivali suburb packed in cardboard boxes. The police have detained three people for questioning in the case. A senior police official said that the bodies were only covered with their under-garments.

Both the bodies were found with their hands and legs tied with ropes inside the boxes, police said.

According to the police, a sweeper noticed the boxes lying in the drain next to the crematorium in Dhanukarwadi area.

“Autopsy reports will reveal the cause of death and whether there were any injury marks on the bodies”, said an officer from Kandivli station.

Hema’s domestic help Hemant Mandal on Friday complained to police that Hema did not return home on Thursday night. In her complaint she had accused him of painting indecent sketches in her room on the walls.

Hema is said to have been going through a divorce.

Hema Hirani Upadhyay a high profile artist living in Mumbai was born and brought up in Baroda and shifted to Mumbai in 1998.

Hema Upadhyay had won annual awards from the Gujarat Lalit Kala Academy and the national Lalit Kala Academy, and was a recipient of a national scholarship from the ministry of human resources. Her works of arts were internationally acclaimed as she used photography and sculptural installations to explore notions of dislocation and nostalgia.