How persistent flies helped police solve a puzzling murder case in Madhya Pradesh | Popular

Case details

According to Times of India, the body of a man was found in a field in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh on the morning of October 31. The man was identified as Manoj Thakur, a 26-year-old who had been reported missing a day earlier.

Manoj was last seen on October 30, when he bought alcohol from a shop and shared a meal with his cousin, Dharam Singh. Dharam was the last person to see Manoj alive. When the 26-year-old did not return home, his relatives started looking for him and eventually asked the police for help.

Manoj Thakur’s body was found lying in a field the next morning. Since his cousin Dharam was the last person to see him alive, the police questioned him extensively. However, he was not arrested due to lack of direct evidence and motive.

The police have reached a dead end

Jabalpur Police interviewed dozens of people while investigating the murder, but kept hitting a brick wall. There was no robbery, because nothing was missing. No one seemed to hold a grudge against the victim and there was no evidence of a monetary dispute.

“The cousin was a prime suspect in Manoj Thakur’s company murder but during interrogation he maintained his innocence,” said additional SP Sonali Dubey.

After interviewing dozens of witnesses, friends and relatives, police officers decided to wipe the slate clean and go back to the last person to see Manoj alive: his cousin.

Flies help solve the case

Dharam had cooperated with the investigation so far. He also appeared calm during the second interview. However, police noticed that flies seemed to be excessively attracted to him.

Throughout the interview he kept swatting flies away – and they kept coming back.

Abhishek Payasi, the officer in charge of Chargawan police station, became suspicious when he noticed this. Finally, Dharam was asked to take off his shirt and hand it over to the police, who then sent it for forensic examination.

The forensic analysis revealed human blood on the shirt that was invisible to the naked eye. During cross-examination, the 19-year-old admitted that he killed his uncle in a fit of rage.

Dharam revealed that he and Manoj were both drunk when they started arguing about money. Manoj said his cousin had not paid his fair share for the alcohol and food they shared, leading to a violent confrontation. Dharam also claimed that his uncle hit him, and he retaliated by hitting him back with a piece of wood.

The 19-year-old has been arrested for murder.