Forensics student, ex-boyfriend stage fire after killing Delhi man

A brutal murder executed with scientific precision and knowledge of forensic sciences to make it look like a fire accident has been unravelled in Delhi’s Timarpur three weeks after police recovered the charred body of a civil service aspirant. The killers- the victim’s live-in partner, her ex-boyfriend and their mutual friend-meticulously executed their plan but forgot to factor in the CCTV near the building, which ultimately led to their arrests.

How CCTV footage revealed the accused’s identity

It all started on October 6, when local police rushed to Timarpur's Gandhi Vihar after receiving a fire alert. After the flames were doused, the charred body of Ram Kesh Meena, 32, a civil service aspirant, was recovered from a flat on the fourth floor of the building.

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After Ram’s family alleged foul play, a case was registered, and the police started an investigation. The investigators found something suspicious while scanning the CCTV footage from the building. They saw two people with their faces covered entering the building on the night before the fire broke out, reported NDTV.

After some time, one of them was seen exiting the building, and later a man and a woman also left the building. According to media reports, the woman has been identified as Amrita Chauhan, Ram’s live-in partner. The fire at Meena’s flat broke out soon after they left the building, the CCTV footage showed.

Phone location became crucial info

The fact that Amrita's phone confirmed that she was near Ram’s flat at the time of the incident played a key role in her arrest. A murder charge was added to the case, and police launched a detailed probe.

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Amrita switched off her phone after the incident and was finally arrested on October 18. She revealed the names of her accomplices during interrogation. They turned out to be her ex-boyfriend ex-boyfriend Sumit Kashyap, and Sandeep Kumar, a mutual friend.

Reason behind the murder

Amrita told police that she met Meena in May and has been in a relationship with him since then. However, things became sour between the duo when Meena refused to delete private videos of Amrit, which he had stored on a hard disk, despite her repeatedly telling him to do so.

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Amrita then reached out to Sumit, who got enraged. The two then plotted Meena’s murder in such a way that it would look like a fire accident, police said, reported NDTV.

Amrita used forensic knowledge

Since Sumit worked in cooking gas cylinder distribution, he was well aware of how long it takes for an LPG cylinder to explode. Amrita, being a student of forensic sciences, used plots from crime web series to plan the murder. They also roped in their mutual friend Sandeep.

They executed the murder late on October 5, with Sumit and Sandeep brutally assaulting and then strangling Ram to death. After killing him, they poured oil, ghee and wine on the body. They then brought the gas cylinder from the kitchen and placed it near the body. They turned the cylinder knob, and gas started to come out.

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After taking Meena’s and Kesh's two laptops, the hard disk, and other belongings, Sumit ignited the fire, and the trio left the place. The cylinder exploded after an hour, and they left, and all that the police initially found was Ram’s charred body.

Despite their meticulous planning, the trio’s luck ran out after the CCTV footage revealed Amrita’s identity.