In a gruesome case that draws parallels to the plot of the popular Bollywood crime-thriller Drishyam, the Ahmedabad city crime branch has uncovered the remains of a man who was allegedly murdered and buried beneath the floor of his own kitchen.
The victim, identified as Samir Ansari, a mason from Bihar, had been missing for nearly a year. Following a tip-off, the crime branch on Tuesday night exhumed bones and other remains from beneath the kitchen floor of the victim’s locked house in Ahmedabad’s Sarkhej area.
Details of the Crime and Alleged Conspiracy
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ajit Rajian, the murder was orchestrated by the victim’s wife, Ruby, and her alleged lover, Imran Vaghela, with the help of two of Vaghela’s relatives, Rahim and Mohsin.
The motive behind the chilling crime was reportedly Ruby’s extramarital affair with Vaghela. Police investigation revealed that Ansari had started beating his wife after learning about the affair, leading Ruby to view him as an obstacle to her illicit relationship.
The Murder Plot:
- Ruby sought the help of her lover, Vaghela, and her two relatives (Rahim and Mohsin).
- Vaghela confessed that he, along with the two relatives, first slit Ansari’s throat and then proceeded to cut his body into pieces.
- The group dug a pit in the kitchen, dumped the dismembered body inside, and covered it with cement and tiles to conceal the evidence.
- For months after the murder, Ruby continued to live in the same house with her two children before moving elsewhere. When neighbours inquired about Ansari, she told them he had gone to another city for work.
Police Action and Investigation
The investigation by the Ahmedabad city crime branch began about three months ago after an inspector received a tip-off that Ansari had been missing for a long period and that no report of his disappearance had been filed.
Ansari and Ruby, who had two children, moved to Ahmedabad from Bihar in 2016 following their love marriage. They lived at Ahmedi Row House near the Fatehwadi canal, where Ruby later developed a relationship with Imran Vaghela, who lived nearby.
- Police kept a watch on the area and subsequently questioned Vaghela, who eventually confessed to the murder and the burial plan hatched by Ruby.
- Police have arrested Imran Vaghela.
- Ruby, Rahim, and Mohsin are currently absconding.
- The recovered bones and other remains have been sent for forensic analysis and DNA matching to officially confirm the victim’s identity.
The Drishyam Resemblance
The horrific disposal method drew similarities to the plot of the Malayalam movie Drishyam (later remade in Hindi starring Ajay Devgn), where the protagonist meticulously covered up a crime by burying a boy’s body beneath the floor of an under-construction police station.