Chhattisgarh: Husband plots wife's murder after watching over 150 crime shows, paid Rs 60,000 contract to killer
RAIPUR: A govt employee was arrested in Balod district for murder of his wife- a school teacher- after meticulously planning the crime by watching 150 episodes of crime shows on internet how to kill and erase evidence.
The murder initially appeared to be a road accident when the victim was returning home from school on Mar 22 and got hit down by a Bolero vehicle. But the digital footprints of the husband got police to a breakthrough. The man had hired people as contract killers.
Police revealed the chilling incident in Balod district, after arrest of an assistant engineer in the electricity department.
The incident dates back to March 22, when Barkha Vasnik, a lecturer at a private school, died following what appeared to be a scooter accident near a temple on Manpur Road in the Dallirajhara region.
Her friend Mathura Mandavi, who was riding pillion, was seriously injured.
At first glance, it seemed like a tragic hit-and-run. But suspicions raised by Barkha's family, especially her sister Priyanka Dahar, led police to reinvestigate the case — this time treating it as potential murder. The truth that emerged was more disturbing than anyone had imagined.
Digital Trail Led to the Killer
Balod SP Yogesh Patel and CSP Chitra Verma, began combing through digital evidence.
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They uncovered a stunning digital footprint: Barkha's husband, Shishpal Vasnik, had been extensively watching crime content on YouTube and searching 'how to commit murder,' 'ways to destroy evidence,' and 'fool police investigations.'
'His phone and Google search history were damning, but it was his attempt to manipulate his location data that truly exposed his involvement. On the day of the murder, Shishpal handed his phone to a colleague and a driver with instructions to make random calls from different locations — hoping this would trick investigators into thinking he was in Bhilai, the officers said during a press brief in Balod.
Contract Killing for Rs 60,000
Investigations revealed that Shishpal had hired a 24-year-old man named Kayamuddin from Supela, Bhilai, and paid him Rs 60,000 to carry out the murder. The two spent days surveiling Barkha's route from school to home and discovered that she often took a quiet, isolated stretch.
On the day of the crime, the duo used a white Bolero SUV with no license plate. As Barkha's scooter approached a bend near the Bajrangbali Temple, they rammed into it.
As she and her friend fell, Shishpal stepped out of the vehicle and struck Barkha multiple times on the head and back with an iron rod. They fled immediately.
The motive, according to police, stemmed from a long history of domestic discord. Barkha and Shishpal were married in April 2016. Within a day of their wedding, Shishpal allegedly began pressuring her for Rs 4 lakh in dowry. The relationship deteriorated over the years, leading to a pending divorce case.
Family members allege that Barkha endured repeated physical abuse during the marriage. Records and complaints shared by her sister with local media support these claims.
Barkha leaves behind two young children — a son studying in Class 1 and a daughter in Class 2 — now living with their maternal grandmother in Durg. Her brother Shubham Kutare told reporters, 'These children never received their father's love, and now they've lost their mother too.'
Police have recovered the murder weapon (an iron rod), the white Bolero used in the attack, two mobile phones, and a list of contacts used to fake call activity. Based on this evidence, both Shishpal Vasnik and Kayamuddin have been arrested and are in police custody.
SP Yogesh Patel called the case 'an exceptional example of forensic and field investigation,' highlighting how digital traces and family persistence cracked open a crime designed to be the perfect murder.
This harrowing case not only exposes the terrifying depths of domestic violence but also underscores how technology, when misused, can turn into a dangerous weapon — and how it can also help uncover the truth.
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