A dead man, a living suspect and flies: how the parliament police solved a blind murder mystery

Last updated:Nov 5, 2024 1:46 PM IST

A 19-year-old was initially acquitted by Madhya Pradesh police in a murder case due to lack of evidence. Read on to find out how flying finally led him to confess to his crime.

Flies helped the police solve a blind murder mystery. (Representative image: ANI)

When police in Madhya Pradesh hit a dead end in a murder case against a 26-year-old man, flies helped them solve it. These flies led to a 19-year-old admitting to committing the crime, even though he was initially cleared by police due to lack of evidence.

So what exactly happened?

On the eve of Diwali, October 30, Manoj Thakur went out for drinks with his cousin, Dharam Singh. They started their evening by purchasing alcohol at a local store, followed by dinner. While Singh returned home after their outing, Thakur never returned. His family later filed a missing complaint with the Jabalpur police, according to a report by The Times of India (TOI).

The next day, police were informed of a dead body found in a field on the outskirts of the city. The body belonged to Thakur.

Police question cousin

Since Thakur was last seen with Singh, the police decided to question him. However, they cleared him as a suspect for several reasons: there was no direct evidence linking him to the murder, no clear motive, and no signs of theft.

“The nephew was a prime suspect in Manoj Thakur’s murder but during interrogation he maintained his innocence,” SP Sonali Dubey told TOI.

Another round of interrogation

After hitting a wall during their investigation, police re-investigated the case. They had no leads, but since Singh was last seen with Thakur, they decided to call him in for another round of questioning. This time, something strange happened that caught the researchers’ attention: flies kept buzzing around him no matter how many times he tried to swat them away.

Flies helped solve the murder mystery

Since flies seemed mainly attracted to Singh and not anyone else in the room, Abhishek Payasi, the officer in charge of the Chargawan police station, became suspicious. He asked Singh to hand over his shirt for examination.

After the shirt was sent to a forensic laboratory for examination, it was discovered that it contained traces of human blood, which could not be seen with the naked eye, the outlet further reported.

During a follow-up interrogation, Singh eventually confessed to the crime and admitted to killing his uncle after a heated argument. According to his account, both men had been drinking when Thakur confronted Singh about having to pay more for their drinks and food. Singh claimed that Thakur hit him first, so he hit back with a piece of wood, causing Thakur’s injuries that led to his death.

Upon returning to the crime scene, police found the murder weapon. Singh was subsequently arrested for the murder of his uncle.