Maharashtra: Cops arrest army man for ‘Drishyam’ style murder of his girlfriend

The army officer first drugged the woman and then strangled her to death. Representation pic/iStock

An army jawan has been arrested by 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 film Drishyam, an officer said on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old victim's disappearance on August 28 marked the beginning of the investigation that unearthed betrayal, deceit, and a horrifying crime. "The case bears a resemblance to the movie Drishyam where the accused meticulously planned and executed the murder," the police officer added.

The prima facie motive behind the crime is the romantic relationship turning sour due to opposition by 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 marriage portal and their friendship soon blossomed 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 officer said.

Wankhede subsequently started ignoring Aakre. He might have planned the murder to get rid of her, the officer added. Wankhede is accused of administering a sedative to Aakre, strangling her to death, and then burying her body in a secluded location in Nagpur district. He even went to the extent of covering the body with cement to conceal the crime, the officer said.

After Wankhede stopped answering Aakre's phone calls, she began searching for him and managed to contact a close friend of his, who disclosed his (Wankhede's) whereabouts. The friend also conveyed to Wankhede that Aakre was looking for him, the police said.

"Alarmed by the situation, Wankhede called Aakre using his mother's mobile phone and invited her to meet on Wardha Road on August 28," the official said. Aakre informed her family that she was staying with a friend that day and would return home after finishing her duties the next day. She was employed with an automobile 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 laced with a sedative," the officer said. After Aakre fell unconscious, Wankhede strangled her to death and drove to a secluded area, where he dug a pit at night, dumped her body, and covered it with cement. Later, he threw the mobile phone of Aakre in a truck passing through Wardha road, according to police.

When Aakre didn't return home, her family reported her missing to the Beltarodi police on August 29. An investigation was launched, and a case of kidnapping was registered on September 17. During the investigation, 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 in Pune, police said.

Meanwhile, Wankhede applied for anticipatory bail in the sessions court in Nagpur, but his plea was rejected. He then approached the High Court, which also denied his application on September 15. Following the rejection of his anticipatory bail, the Beltarodi police arrested Wankhede. During interrogation, Wankhede disclosed the location of the crime scene. Police went to the site with forensic experts and exhumed the body parts on Monday near Dongargaon toll plaza on Wardha road in Nagpur.

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