Wife’s lover plots husband’s murder:Victim opposed affair, strangled to death; 77-minute call exposed conspiracy

In Part-1 of Madhya Pradesh Crime Files, readers learnt how Sapnesh Patel, a resident of Kareli in Narsinghpur, left his shop on the evening of January 24, 2021, after receiving a phone call. He told his companions that he was heading to a party at a friend’s invitation, but mysteriously disappeared thereafter. His family lodged a missing person complaint, while rumours circulated in the village that he had fled due to debt. Investigation revealed that the last call he received was from his relative Suryaprakash Patel. On January 31, his body was recovered from a pond, and the post-mortem confirmed that he had been strangled to death. Investigators also uncovered the growing closeness between his wife Slekha and Suryaprakash. Why was Sapnesh murdered and who all were involved in the conspiracy? Read Crime Files Part-2. Affair led police to the murder mystery To crack the case, police examined Sapnesh’s call records and recorded statements from family members and relatives. The investigation reached a turning point that changed the course of the case. Police discovered that Suryaprakash frequently visited Sapnesh’s house. He was not just a relative, but was considered a trusted member of the family. 77-minute conversation raised suspicion Mobile call records revealed several startling facts. On the night of January 23, a day before the murder, Slekha and Suryaprakash had spoken for nearly 77 minutes. On the day of the crime, the two remained in constant contact. Meanwhile, investigators found a third name while analysing Suryaprakash’s mobile records — Brijesh Yadav. Technical evidence showed that on the day of the incident, Suryaprakash, Brijesh and Sapnesh were all in regular contact with one another at different times. It was becoming clear that this was not a coincidence but part of a larger conspiracy. He wanted to silence Sapnesh with money Investigation revealed that Suryaprakash and Slekha had been in a relationship for a long time. Sapnesh had come to know about the affair. Police also found that after learning about the relationship, Sapnesh had begun opposing it. Suryaprakash allegedly wanted to keep Sapnesh quiet by offering him money in exchange for continuing his relationship with Slekha, but Sapnesh refused. The issue had led to repeated disputes between the two. Called on the pretext of a party, then murdered According to police, Slekha and Suryaprakash hatched a plan to eliminate Sapnesh. Suryaprakash roped in Brijesh Yadav, who worked at his house, into the conspiracy. On the evening of January 24, Suryaprakash called Sapnesh and invited him for a liquor party. The three drank together at a roadside eatery along the four-lane highway near Kareli. Sapnesh had no idea that the people he was drinking with had already planned his murder. After consuming alcohol, Suryaprakash and Brijesh allegedly strangled him using a mobile charging cable. Body kept in car overnight, mobile phone thrown into a well After the murder, the accused faced the challenge of destroying evidence. They placed Sapnesh’s body in the boot of a car and spent the entire night driving along deserted roads looking for a suitable place to dispose of it. Their vehicle was captured by CCTV cameras at a toll plaza during this period. Eventually, they selected a pond near Duda village. Under the cover of darkness, they dumped the body into the pond and placed large stones over it to prevent it from floating to the surface. Technical evidence lifted the veil from the conspiracy Police pieced together the case using call records, mobile location data and CCTV footage. The same car used to transport the body was seen in toll plaza footage. Mobile locations also contradicted the statements given by the accused. As technical evidence mounted, the entire sequence of events became clearer. Under sustained interrogation, Suryaprakash allegedly started changing his statements. Police recovered the charging cable used in the murder, the car, mobile phones and several other crucial pieces of evidence. By the end of the investigation, it had become evident that the murder was not committed in a fit of rage, but was a premeditated conspiracy. Life imprisonment for all three after two and a half years The case eventually reached court. Slekha and Suryaprakash denied all allegations. During the trial, the defence argued that the case was linked to debt, a property dispute and false implication. Slekha claimed in court that her father-in-law and brother-in-law did not want to give her a share in the family property and had therefore implicated her falsely. However, the prosecution presented call records, the post-mortem report, witness testimonies, CCTV footage and other technical evidence before the court.