Blockbuster thriller Drishyam and several crime-based series are often watched purely for entertainment, suspense and clever storytelling. But in a disturbing trend seen across multiple murder investigations in India, police say some accused allegedly tried to borrow ideas from such films while planning cover-ups, hiding bodies and misleading investigators. In several recent cases spanning Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, investigators said the accused allegedly borrowed tactics from films and crime shows in an effort to conceal murders, destroy evidence and mislead police probes.The latest case emerged from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, where police uncovered the skeletal remains of a man buried beneath the kitchen floor of his own house nearly a year after he went missing.According to Ahmedabad Police, 35-year-old Samir Ansari was allegedly murdered by his wife Ruby, her alleged lover Imran Vaghela and two of his relatives. Ansari’s remains were discovered beneath the cemented kitchen floor of his locked home in Sarkhej after a tip-off led the crime branch to reopen inquiries into his disappearance.Deputy commissioner of police (Crime) Ajit Rajian said that Vaghela has been arrested while Ruby and two others Rahim and Mohsin remain absconding.“While Vaghela, who lives in the same area, has been arrested, Ruby along with two relatives of Vaghela — Rahim and Mohsin — are still absconding,” Rajian confirmed.Police said Ansari had allegedly begun confronting his wife over an extramarital affair, which investigators believe became the motive behind the murder.“Vaghela claimed Ruby hatched the plan to kill Ansari because he used to thrash her after learning about her extramarital affair and she saw him as an obstacle in her illicit relationship,” said DCP Rajian.
Investigators alleged that Ansari was killed inside the house, after which the accused dismembered the body and buried it inside a pit dug beneath the kitchen floor before sealing the area with cement and tiles to erase evidence.For months after the murder, Ruby allegedly continued living in the same house with her children while telling neighbours that Ansari had gone to another city for work. The remains have now been sent for forensic and DNA analysis.Woman’s remains found in well after 13 monthsIn another sensational Gujarat case earlier this year, Junagadh Police cracked the murder of a woman whose skeletal remains were recovered from a well 13 months after she disappeared.The prime accused, Hardik Sukhadia, allegedly managed to mislead investigators for months despite remaining under suspicion throughout the probe. Police said he even passed a Layer Voice Analysis (LVA) test conducted at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar. The victim, 35-year-old Daya Savaliya, had gone missing from Rupavati village in January 2024. During the investigation, police learned about her alleged relationship with Sukhadia. However, investigators initially struggled to establish concrete evidence linking him to the disappearance.Police later alleged that Sukhadia fabricated stories suggesting the woman had eloped with another man while also avoiding mobile phone usage to escape digital tracking.A breakthrough came after the local crime branch gathered technical and circumstantial evidence and subjected Sukhadia to sustained interrogation.
Investigators said the accused eventually confessed that he no longer wanted to continue the relationship and decided to kill Daya after she allegedly insisted on maintaining contact.Police alleged that he took her to an isolated area near Hadala village and fatally attacked her before dumping the body in a well. Investigators also claimed he used fake calling applications and misleading digital trails to divert suspicion and confuse the victim’s family.Gym trainer accused of burying body in VIP zoneIn Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, police arrested a gym trainer accused of murdering a businessman’s wife and burying her body inside the Officers’ Club premises located near the district magistrate’s residence.Police alleged that the accused, identified as Vimal Soni, remained on the run for months while avoiding mobile phone use and financial transactions to prevent tracking.According to investigators, the woman had gone missing in June after visiting the gym where Soni worked. Her husband later lodged an FIR against him.After his arrest, Soni allegedly told police that he selected the high-security VIP area because he believed investigators would never suspect or search such a location.Police said the accused initially claimed he had disposed of the body in the Ganga before later confessing that he buried it inside the Officers’ Club premises.“During interrogation, Vimal claimed that he was in a relationship with the woman. On June 24, they had a heated exchange of words in his car after she came to know that Vimal’s marriage had been fixed. In a fit of rage, Vimal punched the woman on her neck which led to her instant death. Later, he drove to Sarsaiya Ghat and buried her body in the Officers’ Club,” Joint Commissioner of Police Harish Chander said.Police later recovered the body after excavating the site under forensic supervision.Ex-cop allegedly used police knowledge to mislead probeAnother disturbing case surfaced in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur, where a former police constable allegedly used his knowledge of investigations and surveillance systems while attempting to cover up the murder of a businesswoman.Police said ex-constable Naresh Dahule allegedly strangled 33-year-old Aruna Kakade after she refused to elope with him. Investigators claimed he then transported the body across Nagpur before dumping it inside a septic tank at an abandoned construction site.According to police, Dahule allegedly stole a SIM card from a CCTV system and repeatedly switched it on and off at different locations to mislead investigators. He also allegedly killed a stray dog and left the carcass near the site to ensure passers-by ignored the smell coming from the decomposing body.
The case remained unsolved until police arrested Dahule in connection with a scooter theft case. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the murder.Police said the accused also attempted to divert the investigation by falsely claiming he had travelled in an autorickshaw instead of using his car.Woman allegedly faked own death to flee marriageA 22-year-old woman and her lover were arrested after allegedly murdering a man and dressing the corpse in her clothes to fake her own death.The partially burnt body was found near a pond in Patan district. Initially, the woman’s family believed she had died because her clothes and anklets were found on the corpse. However, investigators soon realised the body belonged to a man.
Police later identified the victim as 56-year-old Harji Solanki.According to Patan Superintendent of Police V K Nayi, the accused woman Geeta Ahir allegedly wanted to escape her marriage and live with her lover Bharat Ahir.“Geeta, who lives with her husband at Jakhotra, came up with this plan and convinced her lover to arrange a dead body so that they can fake her death and live together after fleeing from Gujarat,” the SP said.Investigators alleged that Bharat strangled Solanki at a secluded spot before the couple dressed the body in Geeta’s clothes and set it on fire using petrol.The two were arrested at Palanpur railway station while allegedly attempting to flee to Rajasthan.Elderly woman killed for jewellery, police sayRajasthan Police also recently solved the murder of a 70-year-old woman allegedly killed for her jewellery by a man who investigators say carefully planned the crime and destruction of evidence.According to Udaipur Assistant Superintendent of Police Manish Kumar, the accused, Ramesh Lohar, lured the elderly woman into his van under the pretext of taking her to a function.Police alleged that Lohar later killed her at an isolated location, burnt the body at a dumping yard and later disposed of the remains in a lake to ensure the body could not be recovered.Investigators said the case was eventually cracked through forensic evidence, including skull fragments, blood stains and human hair recovered from the accused’s vehicle.Police also traced digital searches allegedly conducted by the accused relating to decomposition and mobile tracking methods.Forensics and digital evidence crack casesAcross these cases, investigators highlighted how the accused allegedly relied on deception, destruction of evidence, misleading narratives and attempts to exploit loopholes in investigations. However, police said forensic science, digital evidence, surveillance analysis and sustained interrogation eventually helped uncover the truth in each case.
