In a chilling case that highlights how criminal plans can backfire, a forensic science student in Delhi devised what she believed was the “perfect murder.” Driven by an obsession with crime web series and a desire for revenge, she orchestrated the killing of her live-in partner, aiming to disguise it as a tragic accident. However, her attempt to manipulate evidence ultimately led to her own downfall.
The Elaborate Deception: A Murder Posed as an Accident
The student, along with her ex-boyfriend and another accomplice, strangled her 32-year-old partner in his north Delhi apartment. To cover their tracks, they used a mixture of oil, ghee, and alcohol to set the body ablaze, intending to make it appear as though a gas cylinder explosion was the cause of death. Drawing on her academic knowledge of forensic science, she was confident in her ability to erase crucial evidence, manipulate the crime scene, and eliminate fingerprints, creating a convincing simulation of an accidental fire. Her ex-boyfriend, with his background as an LPG distributor, knew exactly how to tamper with the cylinder to make the staged explosion seem authentic.
The Initial Assessment: A Seemingly Accidental Fire
Upon arriving at the scene in Timarpur’s Gandhi Vihar, investigators were initially met with what appeared to be a tragic accident. The room was scorched, the cylinder had indeed exploded, and the victim’s body was beyond recognition. The initial police report was filed under sections related to negligent conduct with fire. However, subtle inconsistencies in the burn patterns, soot distribution, and flame intensity in certain areas hinted that an accelerant, rather than just a gas blast, had been used, planting the first seed of doubt in the investigators’ minds.
The Turning Point: CCTV and Forensic Clues Unmask the Plot
As forensic teams meticulously examined the crime scene, police simultaneously reviewed CCTV footage from the vicinity. The footage revealed a crucial timeline: two masked men and a woman entering the building around the time of the fire, followed by the blaze erupting shortly after their departure. Technical surveillance and call data records further placed the student at the scene during the critical period, directly contradicting her alibi of being out of town. The perpetrators had fled the scene, even managing to lock the flat from the inside by sliding their hands through a modified gate mesh.
The Unraveling: Phone Records and Recovered Evidence Seal the Fate
The investigation gained momentum as police traced the student’s movements using her phone’s location data and call records. She was apprehended in Moradabad, followed by the arrest of her ex-boyfriend and the third accomplice shortly thereafter. Crucially, investigators recovered the victim’s personal belongings, including a hard disk, trolley bag, and mobile phones, directly linking the accused to the crime. The recovered hard disk and other devices are currently under examination, providing substantial forensic and digital evidence that establishes the sequence of events.
The Motive: Revenge Fueled by Humiliation
During interrogation, the student confessed to the murder, revealing a deeply personal motive. She claimed her partner had secretly recorded private videos of her without her consent and refused to delete them from his hard disk. Investigators subsequently found the drive, containing compromising videos of numerous women, in the victim’s flat. Feeling betrayed and humiliated, she sought retribution and enlisted her former boyfriend’s help to “teach him a lesson,” culminating in the murder and the attempted cover-up.
A Stark Reminder: No Plan is Truly Perfect
Law enforcement officials emphasized that while the murder was exceptionally well-planned, the investigation’s success lay in meticulous scientific analysis and relentless pursuit of evidence. This case serves as a potent reminder that even the most sophisticated criminal plans can be undone by the smallest oversight, as criminals inevitably leave behind clues, however faint.