Court had earlier convicted mother-daughter duo Aarti Ghosh (55) and Falguni Ghosh (34) for the chilling murder case of Sumita Ghosh (50) a resident of Assam’s Jorhat. On Monday, (November 3) their sentence was pronounced. Barasat District Court sentenced the mother and daughter to life imprisonment.

In February this year, 50-year-old Sumita Ghosh was murdered by her daughter-in-law, Falguni Ghosh, and Falguni’s mother, Arati Ghosh, reportedly due to a property dispute. On Monday, the 7th Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Prajna Gargi Bhattacharya (Hossain) pronounced the sentence. A fine of Rs one lakh has also been imposed on each.

How the murder was committed?

In February this year, the mother and daughter had gone to throw the woman’s body in a trolley bag at Kumartuli Ghat in North Kolkata. Locals grew suspicious after Falguni and Arati Ghosh tried to abandon a large trolley bag near a bin yard and flee. When confronted, the women initially claimed the bag contained a dead pet dog, but upon inspection, it was found to contain the body of Sumita Ghosh, who was Falguni’s husband’s aunt. The police were immediately informed, and the mother-daughter duo was arrested. by Kolkata’s North Port police station.

During the investigation, one sensational piece of information came to light. It was learnt that after her divorce, Sumita used to live in her brother’s house in Assam. Falguni Ghosh married the deceased’s nephew. A few months after the wedding, Falguni moved from her in-laws’ house to her maternal home after a dispute. The mother and daughter lived in a rented house in the South Bireshpalli area of Madhyamgram.

Investigation revealed that the victim, Sumita Ghosh, originally from Jorhat, Assam, had multiple properties and gold jewelry stored in a bank locker. Falguni Ghosh, who was living separately from her husband, was in a bitter property tussle with Sumita and demanded a share of her assets.

Sumita had been staying with the accused at their rented flat in Madhyamgram since February 11. During a heated altercation on the evening of February 24, 2025, Falguni allegedly pushed Sumita against a wall, and when the argument escalated further, struck her in the face and neck with a brick, causing fatal injuries.

After the murder, the mother and daughter spent over 40 hours with the body in their flat before deciding to dispose of it. They attempted to stuff the body into a trolley bag, and when it did not fit, they allegedly cut off Sumita’s legs and dumped them in a nearby pond before attempting to dispose of the torso in the Hooghly River.

Murder weapon recovered

After the arrest of the mother and daughter, investigators started collecting multiple pieces of information. The knife used in the murder was also recovered from the pond in front of the house. The charge sheet was also submitted to the court on time. The trial was completed within eight months. Last Friday, the Barasat court found mother Aarti Ghosh and daughter Falguni Ghosh guilty in the Madhyamgram murder case. Their sentence was pronounced today.

How the body was packed in trolley bag and disposed?

The day after the incident, on February 24, Falguni and Aarti left their mother-in-law’s body at home. They purchased a large trolley from Kolkata’s Burra Bazar market. They also went to a gold shop in Boubazar market, where Falguni ordered gold jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh 63 thousand at that shop. The bill for the jewellery order was made in the name of the deceased Sumita Ghosh. Falguni also made an advance payment of Rs 50 thousand online from the deceased’s mobile phone.

After returning home, they broke both the legs of the deceased with a hammer and packed the body in the trolley bag. On the morning of February 25, the mother and daughter took the trolley from the rented house to Dolotala area in Madhyamgram. From there, they hired a taxi and went to Kumartuli Ghat in Kolkata. Before the trolley could be taken out and thrown into the Ganga, the locals became suspicious and caught the duo. The police of North Port Police Station was immediately informed who arrested Falguni Ghosh and her mother Aarti Ghosh on charges of murder.

32 people testified in Sumita Ghosh murder case

Madhyamgram Police Station took over the investigation. A case was filed in the Barasat court. The reconstruction of the incident, observation of forensic experts, as well as the questioning of the van, taxi driver and gold shop owners were done. The police submitted a charge sheet against accused mother-daughter duo Arati and Falguni to the Barasat court. A total of 32 people have testified in the case. Government lawyer Bibhas Chatterjee said, “We wanted a speedy resolution to this case.” There was extra security at the Barasat court today for the verdict to be announced.

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