How flies helped the police solve the mystery of a blind murder

Latest update:November 05, 2024 03:01 PM IST

Madhya Pradesh Police initially acquitted a 19-year-old man of murder due to lack of evidence. Read on to find out how the flies eventually forced him to confess to his crime.

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

When police in Madhya Pradesh reached a dead end in the murder of a 26-year-old man, flies helped them solve it. The flies led to the 19-year-old admitting he had committed the crime, although police initially cleared him due to a lack of evidence.

So what exactly happened?

On the eve of Diwali, October 30, Manoj Thakur went out for drinks with his nephew Dharam Singh. They started their evening by purchasing alcohol from a local store and then grabbed a bite to eat. Although Singh returned home after his walk, Thakur never returned. According to a report in The Times of India (TOI), his family later filed a missing person’s report with the Jabalpur police.

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

Police question nephew

Since Thakur was last seen with Singh, the police decided to question him. However, he was cleared of being a suspect for several reasons: there was no direct evidence of his involvement in the murder, no clear motive, no signs of robbery.

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

Another round of interrogation

After the investigation stalled, the police returned to the case. They did not have any lead, but since Singh was last seen with Thakur, they decided to bring him in for further questioning. This time something strange happened that attracted the attention of the investigators: the flies continued to buzz around him, no matter how many times he tried to drive them away.

Flies helped solve the murder mystery

Since the flies seemed to be particularly attracted to Singh rather than anyone else in the room, Abhishek Payasi, the officer in charge of the Chargawan police station, became suspicious. He asked Singh to give him the shirt for examination.

According to the publication, after the shirt was sent to a forensic laboratory for testing, traces of human blood were found on it, which could not be seen with the naked eye.

During subsequent interrogation, Singh eventually confessed to the crime, admitting that he had killed his uncle after a heated argument. Both men were drinking when Thakur told Singh he needed to pay more for drinks and food, he said. Singh claimed that Thakur hit him first, so he retaliated with a piece of wood, causing Thakur to suffer injuries that led to his death.

Returning to the crime scene, police discovered the murder weapon. Singh was then arrested for the murder of his uncle.