MUMBAI: A 61-year-old senior lawyer and his son have been booked by the Colaba police for allegedly abetting the suicide of a 56-year-old woman lawyer, whose body was found in the sea near the Gateway of India in April.(Shutterstock)According to the police, the case was registered following a complaint filed by the deceased’s sister after the family allegedly found a note in which the woman blamed the senior lawyer for her death. Police said the case stems from a long-running dispute over the deceased family’s ancestral property in Mandwa near Alibaug.According to the police, the deceased’s father and uncle were locked in a property dispute. After her father died in May 2016, the Bombay High Court directed the families of the two brothers to divide the property among themselves. However, the deceased’s uncle challenged the order in the Supreme Court.The deceased then approached a senior lawyer she knew and asked him to fight their case in the Supreme Court. “He told them he would charge ₹35 lakh for the same. The family paid him the money. However, he used to miss several court dates,” said a police officer.The deceased’s family later decided to sell their share of the land, which was in her father’s name. The senior lawyer allegedly offered to help find them buyers.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court upheld the Bombay High Court’s order. A family member of the deceased’s uncle filed a curative petition, which was also dismissed. Then, in December 2024, the senior lawyer agreed to purchase the land for ₹40 crore, according to the complainant.“By March 2025, he was to pay them the total amount. However, he had only paid ₹2.57 crore and avoided paying the remaining amount. In November 2025, the deceased had cancelled the deal with the senior lawyer,” said the police officer.The complainant alleged that the senior lawyer then sent a defamation notice to their family and threatened to file a false case against them. He also allegedly wrote to the Bar Council seeking the cancellation of the deceased’s licence to practice law. Police said the accused subsequently approached the Economic Offences Wing and the local police station seeking the registration of a cheating case against the deceased.In April, the woman was admitted to hospital after consuming a large quantity of medication, police said. She later went missing on April 10, following which her family filed a missing person complaint. Her body was eventually found in the sea near the Gateway of India, police said.The family also found a note in which the deceased blamed the senior lawyer for her suicide. “They told us about the whole matter, after which a case has been registered against the senior lawyer and his son under section 108 (abetment of suicide),” said the police officer.Police said the senior lawyer’s son was also named in the FIR as the land deal documents listed him as one of the proposed buyers.