Preliminary investigation suggests suspicion over the victim’s chats may have triggered the crime, while key evidence was recovered during a police reconstruction of the scene.
Piyush Dhamnodia, arrested in connection with the murder of a 24-year-old MBA student in Indore. Police have recreated the crime scene as part of the investigation.
The Madhya Pradesh Police on Wednesday reconstructed the sequence of events inside a rented room in Indore where a 24-year-old MBA student was allegedly killed by her classmate and boyfriend, Piyush Dhamnotiya. Investigators said the recreation was conducted to verify details provided by the accused during interrogation, as disturbing aspects of the case continue to emerge.
The incident has caused a stir throughout Madhya Pradesh. According to police, the accused, aged around 22, and the deceased were studying in the same MBA programme. Their families were reportedly aware of their relationship.
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Manish Mishra, Station House Officer of Dwarkapuri Police Station, said officers brought the accused back to the room to cross-check his statements.
“Whatever information the accused provided during interrogation, we verified it by bringing him to the crime scene. We have recovered rope and tape through which he tied her. A knife has also been recovered and seized. We have also recovered a cloth that the accused had wiped his hands after getting injuries. So, all this evidence has been recovered,” Mishra said.
Investigators said the accused was questioned about the timing and manner in which the crime was carried out. Police confirmed that rope, adhesive tape and a knife were among the items seized from the room.
Police sources claim that the accused coerced the student into having a sexual relationship. He is accused of pushing himself on her after she allegedly refused, claiming she was ill.
Additionally, according to the sources, he blindfolded her and tied her hands and feet with a rope that was discovered in the flat after the assault. He told her that he wanted to give her a “gift,” according to investigators.
When she resisted again, he allegedly gagged her with a cloth and sat on her chest, choking her until she lost consciousness, police sources said. Officers added that when he realised she was not breathing, he allegedly stabbed her near the chest. The force with which he stabbed her was so fierce that the knife broke.
Police sources also claimed that the accused stayed in the room for some time after the incident. He is alleged to have stepped out, purchased alcohol, and returned to the room.
Upon returning, he drank beside the body. According to police sources, the accused also confessed to sexually assaulting the body during questioning. He then changed and fled the city, leaving the body naked.
Authorities said he travelled to Mumbai shortly after the incident and was arrested in Andheri on February 14. The student’s body was recovered on February 13 from the rented accommodation, days after she was reported missing.
During interrogation, police said they recovered a letter allegedly written by the accused after the incident. In the note, he reportedly expressed suicidal thoughts, stating: “I too want to die and be hanged.”
Preliminary investigation suggests that suspicion may have played a role. Police said the accused allegedly read chats between the woman and her classmates, which led him to suspect her.
On the day she went missing, the student had left home saying she was going to get her Aadhaar card corrected. Her father dropped her near the Collectorate. Later, she informed her younger sister that she would attend a birthday gathering with the accused and return by 11 pm.
When she did not return, her family filed a missing persons complaint. The case took a tragic turn when her body was found in the rented room.
Police said further investigation is ongoing and additional evidence is being collected. The accused remains in custody.
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