Of all the beasts in the world, man is the only one who can attack unprovoked. Jealousy, rage, honour, no reason can justify killing of a man by man. Here is a compilation of 10 unfortunate victims of the most heinous murders in India:
- Naina Sahni:
One of the most gruesome murder cases in India, it is known as the “Tandoor Murder Case”. Wife of a former youth congress leader, Sushil Sharma, she was believed to be in a relationship with Matloob Karim, an old friend of hers.
July 2, 1995: Angered by the unlawful proximity between the two, Sushil fatally shot Naina. He then chopped her body into pieces, stuffed it in the clay oven of Bagiya restaurant, New Delhi. Sharma surrendered himself after absconding for a week.
- Neeraj Grover:
Neeraj Grover was an employee of a Mumbai based production house. Maria Susairaj was a struggling Kannada actress. Lieutenant M.L. Jerome Mathew, a Navy officer posted in Koch, was Maria’s boyfriend.
May 6, 2008: Neeraj approached Maria’s new house in Malad to help her settle in. Mathew called Maria and got upset with the fact that Neeraj was staying there. Next morning, Mathew reached Maria’s flat and stabbed and killed Neeraj with a kitchen knife. Together, Mathew and Maria, chopped Neeraj’s body into more than 300 pieces and stuffed them into bags, went to a jungle in the vicinity and set the bags on fire. The police later caught hold of the culprits.
- Nitish Katara:
Nitish Katara, a 24-year-old, young and dashing business executive was brutally murdered by Vikas and Vishal Yadav. Nitish was in a relationship with his classmate, Bharti Yadav, who was the daughter of the criminal-turned politician D.P. Yadav.
Feb 16, 2002: during a wedding ceremony, Bharti’s brother Vishal and cousin Vikas took away Nitish in their SUV, beat him to death and then set his body to fire. Both were arrested and they accepted that it was a case of honour killing.
- Priyadarshini Mattoo:
Priyadarshini Mattoo was a law student of Delhi University.
On January 23, 1996: Mattoo was found dead at her uncle’s house in New Delhi. The prime suspect was Santosh Kumar Singh, Mattoo’s senior in college. He had been harassing and stalking her for years. Son of an influential IPS officers, Santosh entered Mattoo’s house, raped her, strangled her with an electric wire and struck her several times with a motorcycle helmet, making her face unrecognisable. On October 30, 2006, he was sentenced to death by the Delhi High Court, but later in 2010, his death sentence was transposed to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court of India. The case witnessed a nation-wide protest as well as immense media coverage.
- Jessica Lal:
A Delhi based model, Jessica, worked as a celebrity barmaid at a bar in Mehrauli, New Delhi.
April 30, 1999: She was approached by Manu Sharma and his friends during a socialite party. Son of an influential politician of congress party, Manu offered her Rs. 1000, demanding for another drink. Jessica denied the demand explaining the rules of court for not selling alcohol after 12.30 midnight. Manu went furious and fired a shot from his pistol aiming Jessica’s head which killed her on the spot. Media pressure and public outcry got Sharma sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court on December 20, 2006.The sentence was endorsed by the Supreme Court of India.
- Aarushi Talwar:
Aarushi, a student of class IX in DPS Noida, was the only adopted child of a renowned dentist couple Dr. Rajesh and Nupur Talwar.
May 16, 2008: Aarushi was discovered dead with her throat slit in her house, located in Noida. Initially, Hemraj, the manservant of Talwars, was the suspect. Later his decomposed body was found from the terrace of their house, which got the Talwar couple covered on the radar of the investigation team. Accused for murdering their daughter as well as Hemraj, the Talwars are still going through trials to prove their conviction.
- Rizwanur Rahman:
Rizwanur Rahman was a computer graphics trainer in Kolkata. He was in a relationship with a Kolkata based girl, daughter of a top industrialist.
December 27, 2007: Rizwanur’s dead body was mysteriously found lying on the railways tracks. Police initially denied all accusations. It was later declared to be a cold bloodied murder. The case is under CBI investigation.
- Knanaya Roman Catholic nun:
1992: A nineteen year old nun was found dead in water well in St PiusX convent in Kottayam, Kerala. The death was concluded as suicide by the police. Later the case was re-opened on the basis of a petition filed by the nuns of the congregation. Two priests and a nun were arrested on charges of murder and destruction of evidence.
- Anju Ilyasi:
Suhaib Ilyasi was the producer and anchor of one of the most famous TV shows “India’s Most Wanted”
March 27, 2000: Ilyasi was accused of murdering his wife Anju Ilyasi. He was booked under charges of cruelty, harassment and demand for dowry. What was surprising was that while the deceased’s mother and sister sided with their daughter during the trial, her father and brother aligned with the accused terming it as a suicide.
10. Amar Singh Chamkila:
One of the most notable live stage performers, Chamkila was best known for having an unparalleled lyrical mastery.
March 8, 1988: Chamkila was killed by unidentified killers in Mehsampur, Punjab. Chamkila was accompanied by his wife Amarjot and other musicians enroute Mehsampur. As soon as they stepped out of their car, a group of unknown youths approached them and pumped bullets from AK 47 in their bodies, killing them on the spot. The murder remains unexplored.
