A Rajasthan man, who was inspired by the Bollywood thriller ‘Drishyam’, allegedly killed an elderly woman, burnt her body and dumped the remains in a lake,
A Rajasthan man, who was inspired by the Bollywood thriller ‘Drishyam’, allegedly killed an elderly woman, burnt her body and dumped the remains in a lake, believing he could evade arrest if the police couldn’t recover the body.
The accused, Ramesh Lohar, a Class 5 dropout with a fascination for thrillers and true crime shows like Crime Patrol, told police he killed 70-year-old Chandi Bai with the intent to steal her jewellery, according to Udaipur Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Manish Kumar.
Chandi Bai, a member of the Dholi caste, was playing drums at an event on January 9 when the accused noticed her wearing heavy silver and gold jewellery, the ASP said.
On February 22, Ramesh lured Chandi Bai into his van by offering her Rs 1,100 to perform at a function. He drove around for hours with his phone switched off to avoid being tracked. Later that night, he took her to a secluded spot and repeatedly struck her on the head with a screwdriver, ASP Kumar said.
After the murder, the accused removed her jewellery, turned off her mobile phone, and discarded both the phone and her bag in a nearby forested area, the officer added.
Ramesh then drove to a dumping yard, where he covered the body with debris and set it on fire to destroy any evidence.
The following morning, he returned to collect the remains and disposed of them in a lake. Believing that, like in the film Drishyam, he could avoid being caught if the body wasn’t found, he tried to erase all traces of the crime, the ASP said.
However, it was not a foolproof crime as police found small pieces of the woman’s skull in the dumping yard.
During a forensic analysis, bloodstains and human hair were also found in Ramesh’s van. The hair samples were later matched to those collected from Chandi Bai’s bed, ASP Kumar said.
The case unfolded over two months after Chandi Bai’s family reported her missing.
Concerned by the lack of progress, Chandi Bai’s relatives approached senior officials and expressed apprehension that she might have been murdered. An FIR was registered and the investigation was handed over to the ASP.
During the investigation, some people claimed that they saw Chandi Bai being picked up by a silver-coloured van on February 22. Upon further inquiry, investigators found that the van belonged to Ramesh, a local artificial jewellery seller with a criminal record.
“Ramesh was brought in for questioning and initially, he denied any involvement. Technical analysis of Chandi Bai’s call records revealed that the two were at the same location on the day of her disappearance,” the officer said.
Police also found that Ramesh had a “history of criminal behaviour”, including a rape case that landed him in judicial custody.
