Man's crime-show binge & digital trail land him in jail for wife's murder

Time of India

4 days ago

Raipur: He googled, 'How to fool police'… and led the police straight to him.
A man's search history has helped Chhattisgarh police crack a murder that was allegedly made to look like an accident.
The suspect, Shishpal Vasnik, a govt engineer, had planned the cold-blooded murder after watching over 150 episodes of crime shows on YouTube and repeatedly googling 'how to murder and erase evidence', say investigators.
Vasnik hired a contract killer, say police. The price of his wife's life? Rs 60,000.
The victim, Barkha Vasnik, was a teacher at a private school in Balod town, around 90km from Raipur. On March 22, she was returning home from school, at her usual time, when a Bolero rammed her as soon as she took a curve on Manpur Road in Dallirajhara region.
She and a friend Mathura Mandavi, who was riding pillion, were thrown on the road and fell unconscious. Barkha was declared dead in hospital. Mathura was seriously injured and spent several days in ICU.
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.
Trail Of Evidence, Virtually, Leads To Govt Staffer
Balod SP Yogesh Patel led the investigation. He and CSP Chitra Verma began combing through digital evidence and uncovered unsettling digital footprints. Shishpal, an assistant engineer in the electricity department, 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 (70km from Balod)," the SP said at a press briefing in Balod.
In fact, he was sitting in the Bolero with contract killer Kayamuddin, said police.
Rs 60k For Wife's Life
Investigations revealed that Shishpal had hired 24-year-old Kayamuddin from Supela in Bhilai, and paid him Rs 60,000 to kill his wife. The two spent several days surveilling 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 licence plates. As Barkha's scooter approached a bend near Bajrangbali Temple, they rammed it.
After she and her friend fell, unconscious, Shishpal stepped out of the vehicle and struck Barkha repeatedly on the head and back with an iron rod, say police. The duo drove off.
Dowry Demands, Domestic Abuse & History Of Violence
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 divorce case that was pending at the time of her murder.
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 is survived by two little children — a son in Class 1 and a daughter in Class 2 — who now live 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 iron rod allegedly used in the murder, the Bolero used in the attack, two mobile phones, and a list of contacts used to fake call activity. Based on this evidence, Shishpal 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 a family's perseverance cracked open a crime designed to be the perfect murder.