Husband’s Desperate Search Ends in Horror as Wife’s Body Found Hidden in Sofa

In a grim and heart-wrenching turn, a husband’s desperate two-day search for his missing wife ended in a devastating discovery within his own home. Phursungi police have now launched a murder investigation after Umesh Pawar, a cab driver from Pune, found his wife’s lifeless body hidden in the storage compartment of the very sofa bed he had unknowingly been sleeping on.

The 24-year-old woman, identified as Swapnali Umesh Pawar, had last been heard from on November 7 when Umesh called to check in on her from Beed, where he was working. After several unsuccessful attempts to reach her the following day, Umesh, increasingly alarmed, asked a friend in Pune to visit their home in Hundekar Vasti near Hadapsar. There was no trace of Swapnali, and Umesh returned to Pune immediately, embarking on an intense search of nearby areas and checking with friends and family.

However, it wasn’t until early Saturday morning that he would make the heartbreaking discovery. While investigating the house further, he checked inside the sofa’s storage compartment, only to find his wife’s body. Senior Inspector Mangal Modhawe noted that it was the very piece of furniture on which Umesh had been sleeping. A postmortem later confirmed that Swapnali had been strangled, with visible nail marks indicating a violent struggle.

Police suspect that the individual responsible was someone Swapnali knew, as there were no signs of forced entry into the flat. Authorities are now focusing on a known acquaintance of the couple, reportedly a frequent visitor who occasionally stayed overnight at their residence. The individual’s phone has been switched off since the discovery, and attempts to locate them at their home in Hadapsar have been unsuccessful. Investigators are reviewing footage from nearby CCTV cameras in an effort to uncover further clues.

Assistant Commissioner Ashwini Rakh, who was at the crime scene, reported that the rented apartment had no CCTV or security personnel. Fingerprints have been collected, and a police canine unit has been deployed to aid in the investigation. Officers believe the killer may have stolen some of Swapnali’s valuables, as certain items were missing from the apartment.

In a chilling development for the neighborhood, police have registered an FIR for murder and robbery based on Umesh's account, and efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the prime suspect.