MUMBAI/THANE: In a fresh twist to the alleged murder of a woman in Thane district, the police on Friday said the man charged with her killing had in fact married the victim, and they were not live-in partners as believed earlier, and he has claimed she committed suicide.

Manoj Sane (56), arrested for allegedly murdering his `livein partner’ Saraswati Vaidya, was in fact married to her but the couple had concealed this fact, the police said.

Sane, who worked at a ration shop, has now claimed Vaidya committed suicide by drinking poison and he only tried to dispose of her body by chopping it up, officials said. He also claimed after disposing of the body pieces he had planned to commit suicide.

The accused also claimed he was HIV-positive and never had any physical relationship with Vaidya.

“The couple did not register their marriage, but they had married by performing rituals in a temple,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Jayant Bajbale of Mira-Bhayandar, citing the statements given by three sisters of the deceased.

The remains of the woman will be handed over to her sisters once DNA testing and other formalities are over.

The motive behind the crime was still not clear.