Shillong, October 19: A combination of unique clues, including a hand tattoo, a stolen wireless set from a police officer, and crucial CCTV footage, played pivotal roles in solving the cases of the murder of IT professional Jigisha Ghosh and TV journalist Soumya Vishwanathan, according to officials.
News agency PTI reported, Ravi Kapoor, Amit Shukla, and Baljeet Malik, initially arrested for the murder of Jigisha Ghosh in 2009, later admitted their involvement in the murder of Soumya Vishwanathan in 2008.
A Delhi court recently convicted four individuals—Kapoor, Shukla, Malik, and Ajay Kumar—of being part of an organized crime syndicate responsible for Vishwanathan’s murder. A fifth accused, Ajay Sethi, was also convicted for receiving stolen property and conspiring to facilitate organized crime under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA).
Following the confessions of the trio, the Delhi Police apprehended Ajay Kumar and Ajay Sethi, implicating all five in the murder of Soumya Vishwanathan in September 2009.
In Jigisha Ghosh’s case, the breakthrough came just days after her body was discovered. A significant lead emerged from CCTV footage, which revealed one of the assailants with a distinctive hand tattoo while making purchases with Jigisha’s debit card, and another was seen carrying a wireless set and wearing a cap.
The police subsequently mobilized their human intelligence network and traced the residence of Baljeet Malik in Masoodpur. Kapoor and Shukla were subsequently apprehended. Malik’s name was inked on his hand, while Kapoor was found with a stolen wireless set, taken from a police officer.
The culprits disclosed that they had abducted Jigisha near her Vasant Vihar residence, killed her, and disposed of her body after robbing her. They also made purchases using her debit cards.
The revelation that they were involved in another murder case, that of Soumya Vishwanathan on Nelson Mandela Marg, stunned investigators. This prompted the formation of another team to handle both cases.
Collecting forensic evidence in the Soumya Vishwanathan case presented a major challenge, as the confessions alone were not sufficient.
Detailing the events of Vishwanathan’s murder, the police recounted that Kapoor drove a Maruti Wagon R car with Shukla as a passenger. Malik and Kumar occupied the rear seats, all intoxicated.
On the fateful night, Vishwanathan was driving a Maruti Zen back to her home in Vasant Kunj. As she overtook their vehicle and since she was alone, the culprits accelerated and approached her car.
They initially attempted to intercept her, but when she refused to stop, Kapoor fired a shot at Vishwanathan’s vehicle, fatally hitting her in the temple, causing her car to crash into a divider.
The culprits fled the scene but returned 20 minutes later, only to flee again when they spotted police personnel.
The successful convictions in both cases were attributed to the recovery of the murder weapon, forensic sketches of the crime scene, and the consistency of the incident sequence with the accused’s confessions.