Stepdad held in youth's murder 6 years later, after skeletal remains found in septic tank
Raipur: Police in Chhattisgarh's Dhamtari district arrested 62-year-old Ram Milan for the murder of his 23-year-old stepson, whose skeletal remains were found in a septic tank in Bhoyna village, thereby solving a six-year-old case.
The remains of the youth were discovered on May 17, 2025, by a village kotwar.
During interrogation, Ram Milan confessed to killing Nandu Soni during an alcohol-fueled argument and then dumping his body in a septic tank some distance away from their house. The accused was sent to judicial remand under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, said SHO Chandrakant Sahu.
On May 17, 2025, Toran Nagarchi, the village kotwar of Bhoyna, reported finding a skull—estimated to be 6–7 years old—in a dry septic tank at Ashish Bardia's warehouse in the Shanti Colony area of Bhoyna.
An inquiry was initiated, and the executive magistrate of Dhamtari conducted a panchnama of the human remains.
During the investigation, police recovered a blue-and-white pen, a syringe, a plastic button, an underwear waistband with 'D-LUX' written on it, and a cement pole tied with green nylon ropes and a bicycle tube. Approximately 200 grams of soil were also collected from the scene.
Given the seriousness of the case, SP Suraj Singh Parihar formed an investigation team, which began probing the case under the guidance of additional superintendent of police Manishankar Chandra.
Based on information from informants, the team interrogated Ram Milan, who confessed to the crime.
Ram Milan told the police that about 6–7 years ago, during Navratri, he was alone at home while his wife Maya Dhruv and daughters, Payal Dhruv and Gayatri Dhruv, were visiting a neighbour. Around 10–11 pm, his stepson, 23-year-old Nandu Soni—described as a habitual drunkard—arrived. An argument over food escalated, during which Milan grabbed Nandu by the throat and pushed him forcefully.
Nandu hit his head against a stone wall and fainted.
Ram Milan then went inside his kutcha house and slept.
Around 4 am, when Milan woke up, he discovered that Nandu was dead. He then dragged the body to a nearby septic tank at a warehouse, tied it to a cement pole using nylon rope and a bicycle tube, and threw it into the tank.
Police have seized a stone presented by the accused as part of the evidence.
The SHO said that Maya had two sons from her first husband in Durg, with Nandu being the younger. She left her first husband and came with Nandu to marry Ram Milan, a daily wage labourer. Ram Milan's kutcha house is situated at the edge of the village, adjacent to a forested area, he said.
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