8-year-old girl found dead near Home Minister’s bungalow:Face crushed, body gnawed by dogs; 2013 VVIP zone murder case that shook Bhopal police

It was a cold afternoon on February 4, 2013. Winter was about to leave Bhopal, but the evenings still sent shivers down the spine. As the sun set, cold winds would rise. On one such fading evening, the phone at the TT Nagar police station—considered the city’s most posh and secure area—rang. The caller’s voice was full of panic. “Sir, I’m near Dussehra Maidan… I was passing by and saw a dog carrying a small child’s hand in its mouth by the roadside.” Body of a child found in the bushes near the bungalow The moment the officer heard the location, it was as if a 440-volt current had run through him. 45 Bungalows! This was a VVIP area. The state Home Minister’s bungalow was right there. A dead body near the Home Minister’s bungalow—this thought alone was enough to shock any police officer. Within minutes of the call ending, the sirens of police vehicles shattered the quiet of the area. One by one, vehicles arrived near the Home Minister’s bungalow. Officers began searching the specified location, and soon, their worst fear was confirmed. The dead body of a child lay in the bushes near the bungalow. The place near then-Home Minister Umashankar Gupta’s house where the girl’s body was found 12 years ago. High-profile case and mounting pressure on the police This was an extremely high-profile case. At the time, Umashankar Gupta was the state’s Home Minister. Finding a girl’s body in the bushes near the bungalow of the officer responsible for the entire state’s security—and whose bungalow was under strict 24-hour surveillance—was both shocking and humiliating. The girl’s face had been badly crushed, likely with a heavy object to erase her identity. Her blood-soaked body had been gnawed in several places by dogs, making the scene even more gruesome. Soon, the entire TT Nagar police staff arrived at the spot. Before long, both SPs, the DIG, and the IG of Bhopal Police also arrived with their entourage. The then-DGP himself reached the spot Every officer present was pale with fear, wondering who would bear the brunt of this case. Given the gravity of the matter, then-DGP Nandan Dubey personally arrived at the scene. Experts began their investigation, but it remained unclear whether the girl had been murdered there or elsewhere and dumped at the location. After preparing an inquest report, the body was sent for post-mortem. The DGP issued strict instructions: “A murder in a high-security area like 45 Bungalows is extremely serious. Deploy the best officers for this investigation. Alert everyone, and ensure every aspect of this case is thoroughly examined.” Identifying the body was the biggest challenge The first and most difficult challenge for the police was identifying the body. The face was so badly crushed that recognition was impossible. From the body, it could only be estimated that the victim was a small girl, around 7–8 years old. Dogs had also gnawed at her hands and feet. Apart from a frock, there were no other marks or jewelry that could aid identification. However, some officers remembered a distressed couple who had visited the station the previous night. Night-duty staff told DIG Srinivas Verma, “Sir, late last night, a man and his wife from a slum near Dussehra Maidan came here. Both were extremely worried.” The couple said their daughter had gone to the fair They explained: “Our slum is right near the ground. A fair is going on, and both our daughters often go there. This evening, when we returned from work, our 8-year-old elder daughter was not home. We thought she must have gone to the fair, but when she didn’t return even late into the night, we began searching. We asked around the neighborhood and even checked the fair.” “We also searched the market, but our daughter was nowhere to be found. Now, the entire market and fair have closed, and she still hasn’t returned. Please find her, sir.” At that time, the police registered a missing person report, broadcast a message over wireless, and sent a constable with the parents to inquire, but the girl could not be located. The description and age of the body found in the bushes matched that of the missing girl. The police immediately summoned the couple. Soon, a middle-aged man and woman stood trembling before the officers. The condition of the body was so horrific that the police did not dare show it to them; instead, they showed them the frock found on the girl. Mother said – Elder daughter used to care for the younger one The couple stated they had no enmity with anyone and no financial disputes. They earned their living through honest work. This was their elder daughter, who also had a six-year-old younger sister. When both parents went to work, the elder daughter would care for the younger one, staying like a shadow and never leaving her alone. Investigation responsibility and mounting pressure The investigation was handed over to the then station in-charge, now-retired DSP Subodh Tomar. Tomar recalls: “At that time, I was posted at Piplani police station but had previously served as a TI in TT Nagar. I knew every nook and cranny of that area. The DIG said, ‘Tomar, you investigate this case.’” Police did not find any clue of the killer Even after questioning the family and the local area, no clue emerged. Meanwhile, public outrage over the brutal crime against a small girl escalated. People took to the streets; candlelight marches were organized. Opposition parties attacked the government, increasing the pressure. The DIG and SP set up camp at the CSP office near the police station, calling Tomar every half hour for updates. The police team tried every modern technique, from mobile tower triangulation to technological methods, but nothing worked. The entire responsibility now rested on traditional policing methods, common years ago. A ray of light in the dark Then Tomar adopted a new approach. He took a photo of the girl from her parents and, along with his team, went to the Dussehra Maidan fair. They approached every shopkeeper, swing operator, and stall owner, showing the girl’s picture and asking questions. This method of investigating on the ground proved effective. After hours of effort, a swing operator recognized the photo: “Yes, this girl came here yesterday…” This single clue offered the police a ray of light in the darkness. The investigation had reached a turning point. Read in Part-2 of MP Crime Files