Unsolved Indian Murder Mysteries
Murder mysteries can be both captivating and haunting all at the same time and some remain unresolved to date. Here are the top 20 unsolved murder mysteries in India.
1. Neeraj Groverโs murder
Kaizad โKazyโ Kermani, an aspiring film producer and Maria Susairaj, a television actress, were accused of the gruesome murder of Neeraj Grover, who was a television executive working for Balaji Telefilms. He was reported missing from his flat in Malad and his body parts were later found in a nearby forest. However, the culprits were not convicted of murder, instead were acquitted of โculpable homicide not amounting to murderโ after a lengthy trial.
2. Sunanda Pushkarโs death case
The mysterious, sudden and unnatural death of Congress MP Shashi Tharoorโs wife Sunanda, who was found dead in room number 345 of Delhiโs Leela Palace hotel, is still unsolved. The investigation of her mysterious death has been fluctuating for almost six years and the cause of her death remains a mystery to date.
3. Nithari Killings
2006 marked the year when the remains of 19 missing children and women were found in Nithari village in Uttar Pradesh. It was later revealed that the remains belonged to the victims of serial killings who had been allegedly murdered by businessman Moninder Singh Pandher and his domestic help Surinder Koli. To date, it remains unsolved as to who delivered justice to the victims.
4. Jessica Lal murder case
Jessica Lal, a model in Delhi, was shot dead at a party in 1999. Initially, eight people were accused of the crime, but only one was convicted and given a death sentence. It is believed that many powerful people were helping the accused, however, after a decade, the accused was convicted and given life imprisonment, instead of a death sentence.
5. Jigisha Ghosh murder case
Jigisha Ghosh, a management executive working at an IT firm in Noida was found dead in Vasant Kunj, Delhi after she was kidnapped from her morning run in March 2009. Intense investigations took place, but sadly no results were found. Six years later, three people were identified and arrested for the murder, but their identity remains unknown to date.
6. Priyadarshini Mattooโs murder case
The most talked about Delhi assassination of law student Priyadarshini Mattoo in 1996 by her teacher Santosh Kumar was one of the most highly publicized cases of the time. However, no justice was obtained when the court acquitted the accused 20 years later.
8. Mohitโs murder case
Mohit, a 4-year-old boy from Delhi went missing from his house in October 2013. Investigations were conducted but no results were found, however, his burnt body was found months later in a jungle near Delhi.
9. Penguin killerโs murder case
The murder of a 19-year-old student, nicknamed โPenguin killerโ by the media, became a mystery when the victim was found dead in Bangalore in 2013. Not much information was available and the culprits were never identified.
10. Preeti Bhatiaโs murder case
The murder of 17-year-old Preeti Bhatia in Ahmedabad in April 2011 is still unresolved. Investigations took place but no results were found, as the body parts were also disposed from a canal.
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12. Ijaz Ahmadโs murder case
The case of the murder of 19-year-old Ijaz Ahmad in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015 is still unsolved. Even though five people were arrested, they were not sentenced as the court ruled out the existence of any evidence.
13. Pallavi Purkayastha murder case
The case of the murder of Pallavi Purkayastha, a 25-year-old lawyer in Mumbai in her flat in 2012 is still unresolved, with the primary suspect, Sajjad Ahmed Mughal, who was the watchman of the building, being convicted.
14. Pune techie murder case
The murder of Suranjana Gupta, a 25-year-old techie from Pune who was found dead in 2008, became one of the biggest mysteries of the city. Several people were interrogated but nothing came out of it.
15. Mumbra double murder and suicide case
The case of the double murder and suicide of a retired TISS professor, Arun Tikku, his son, and the accused in their murder, Vijay Palande, in Mumbra in March 2012 is still a mystery. There were several suspects and investigations conducted, but nothing has been proven to date.
16. Pradyuman Thakurโs murder case
The murder of 7-year-old Pradyuman Thakur in a Gurugram school shocked the nation and created much outcry in the media. Several people were interrogated including the school bus conductor, however, the real culprit is still unidentified.
17. Nehaโs murder case
Neha, an 8-year-old girl was killed in an Ahmedabad school in 1996. Though a man called Jaleel Pathan was arrested for the crime, his conviction was overturned, as there was no clear evidence.
18. Metro Ladyโs murder case
The body of the 20-year-old โMetro Ladyโ was found in Delhi Metro in 2011, where she had been living for a month after running away from home. The cause of her death was a gunshot wound and it is still unknown who killed her.
19. Delhiโs tipper truck double murder
The double murder of two drivers of a tipper truck in North Delhi in February 2016 caused an uproar in the entire city. The case is still unresolved.
20. Ajitabh Bachchanโs murder case
Ajitabh Bachchan, the eldest son of former Indian Prime Minister, Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, was murdered in a Delhi hotel in 1991. Though an employee of the hotel was arrested in the case, no evidence was found and the investigation was dropped in 1993.
These are some of the most celebrated unsolved murder mysteries in India, which will remain a mystery forever.
Conclusion
Justice is a fundamental right of every individual and when it comes to murder, the culprit must be brought to justice. These unsolved murder mysteries are should make us think about the state of crime in India and highlight the urgent need to ensure that justice is delivered.
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