Army man arrested for ‘Drishyam’ style murder of his girlfriend in Nagpur

An army jawan has been arrested by the Nagpur police for allegedly killing his girlfriend and covering her body with cement after burying her, a chilling crime that mirrors a plot from the movie Drishyam, an official said Tuesday.

The disappearance of the 32-year-old victim on August 28 marked the beginning of an investigation that uncovered betrayals, deceit and a gruesome crime.

“The case resembles the movie Drishyam where the accused meticulously planned and executed the murder,” the police official added.

The prima facie motive behind the crime is the romantic relationship which has soured due to the opposition of the accused’s family to their marriage, the police said.

The accused individual, identified as Ajay Wankhede (33), is a resident of Kailash Nagar area in Nagpur who is stationed in Nagaland.

According to investigators, Wankhede had met Jyotsna Aakre, a divorcee, through a matrimonial portal and their friendship soon turned into a romantic relationship.

However, things took a turn for the worse after Wankhede’s family opposed their union and married him off to another woman, the official said.

Subsequently, Wankhede started ignoring Aakre. He may have planned the killing to get rid of her, the official added.

Wankhede is accused of administering a sedative to Aakre, strangling her to death and then burying her body in an isolated spot in Nagpur district. He even went so far as to cover the body with cement to disguise the crime, the official reported.

After Wankhede stopped answering Aakre’s phone calls, he started looking for him and managed to contact a friend of his, who revealed his (Wankhede’s) whereabouts. The friend also relayed to Wankhede that Aakre was looking for him, police said.

“Alarmed by the situation, Wankhede called Aakre on his mother’s mobile phone and invited her to meet him at Wardha Road on August 28,” the official said.

Aakre informed his family that he was staying with a friend that day and would return home after completing his duties the next day. He worked with an auto shop.

“Wankhede and Aakre met in the Wardha Road area and checked into a hotel. Later, they left the hotel and drove to a nearby toll plaza, where he offered her a drink with a sedative ” the official said.

After Aakre fell unconscious, Wankhede strangled her to death and drove her to a secluded area, where he dug a well at night, dumped her body and covered it with cement. Later, he threw Aakre’s mobile phone at a passing truck on the Wardha road, police said.

When Aakre did not return home, his family reported him missing to the Beltarodi police on August 29. An investigation was initiated and a case of kidnapping was registered on September 17.

During the investigation, the police checked the call detail records and found regular phone calls between Wankhede and Aakre.

They summoned Wankhede for questioning. Sensing trouble, he sought medical attention for high blood pressure at the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, police said.

Meanwhile, Wankhede applied for anticipatory bail in the Nagpur sessions court, but his plea was rejected. He then approached the High Court, which also denied his application on September 15.

After his anticipatory bail was rejected, the Beltarodi police arrested Wankhede.

During interrogation, Wankhede revealed the location of the crime scene. Police went to the spot with forensic experts and exhumed the body parts on Monday near the Dongargaon toll plaza on the Wardha to Nagpur road.

(This news has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency channel – PTI)