A calculated scheme to implicate an estranged wife in a murder case backfired dramatically in Gujarat when the complainant himself turned out to be the perpetrator of three killings. What began as a tip-off brought to the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch regarding an elderly woman's murder unraveled into a confession covering a series of violent crimes dating back to 2022, exposing a sinister attempt to use the police machinery for personal vengeance.
The Web of Deceit Woven to Frame Relatives
The sequence of events commenced when Madhavdas Bhaktiram Sadhu walked into the Ahmedabad City Crime Branch with serious accusations. He claimed that Shantaben Gambhirbhai Vasava, his 85-year-old mother-in-law and a resident of Kabristan Faliya in Kosamba within the Mangrol taluka of Surat district, had been murdered four to five years earlier. Madhavdas told authorities that the fatal act had been executed by his wife, Urmila alias Jaya, and her cousin brother, Afzal alias Poto Diwan. To lend gravity to his claim, he insisted that the victim's remains were buried deep beneath a layer of cement right inside the house.
Interrogation Crumbles the False Allegations
Acting on the specific information provided by Madhavdas, the Crime Branch summoned Afzal to their office for a thorough interrogation. During questioning, Afzal categorically denied having any knowledge or involvement in the killing of Shantaben. Crucially, the investigating team could find zero evidence or corroborative trails linking Afzal to the alleged incident.
Faced with inconsistencies, the investigators decided to subject both Madhavdas and Afzal to sustained and detailed examination. ACP (Crime Branch) Bharat Patel noted that once Afzal's innocence became apparent, the entire direction of the probe shifted onto Madhavdas. Patel explained that Madhavdas had initially presented himself before the Crime Branch acting as an informant, attempting to portray his wife and Afzal as cold-blooded killers. However, under close scrutiny, Madhavdas broke down and admitted that he had falsely dragged Afzal into the narrative.
Domestic Conflict and the Motive of Retaliation
When questioned on why he fabricated such severe charges, Madhavdas revealed a bitter domestic dispute. He told investigators that his wife, Urmila, had walked out on him approximately nine months earlier, taking their son along with gold and silver jewelry and household cash. Suspecting his wife's motives and consumed by resentment over her prolonged separation, he sought retribution. Madhavdas acknowledged to detectives that his sole objective in feeding false tips against his wife and Afzal was to exact revenge and ensure they were incarcerated.
The Horrific Details of the 2022 Concrete Burial
The probe took a much darker turn as detectives pressed further into the past. Patel confirmed that Madhavdas eventually confessed to the murder of three women, his mother, his mother-in-law, and his sister-in-law, all executed in 2022. The Crime Branch disclosed that Madhavdas and Urmila had acted together in committing these homicides.
Regarding the first case, investigators revealed that Madhavdas and Urmila murdered 85-year-old Shantaben on the night of October 7, 2022. They allegedly smothered her to death using a pillow. To conceal the crime, they placed her body inside a large metal drum, poured three bags of cement along with water over the corpse, and kept the sealed container inside the house for nearly three and a half months. Later, the perpetrators cut open the drum, removed the hardened concrete block enclosing the remains, and buried it inside a pit dug out on their veranda.
