What is the connection between Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Pune (Maharashtra), which are 1400 kilometres apart? A murder! This is the story…

21st Nov, 2018.

The morning sun had barely begun to warm the chill that lingered over Pune. Inside the Indramani Society, the residents went about their daily routines, unaware that their quiet lives were about to be shattered. The Bhati family had settled into their new lives in Pune, leaving behind the murky shadows of their past in Noida. They seemed to fit well into the neighbourhood, running a mess that fed students and IT professionals in the Viman Nagar area. They were known for their generosity, their cheerful presence a welcome addition to the community.

But the Bhatis' history was not as spotless as it appeared.

It was 8 a.m. when the killers made their move. Shivlal Babulal Rao and Mukesh Jagram Rao had been lurking in the shadows of the Dhandeep Building where the Bhati family owns three of the four flats, waiting for their moment. They knew the Bhati family's routine well, thanks to the meticulous planning of Sandhya Puri, a woman with whom Brijesh Bhati had a dark past. As the family gathered for their morning tea in Rajveer Singh Bhati's first-floor flat, Ekta Bhati was the last to descend the stairs. While couple Brijesh and Ekta Bhati (39) lived with their eight-year-old twin daughters and son on the second floor, Brijesh’s father, retired armyman Rajveersingh Bhati, lived on the first floor.

The killers struck with cold precision. Cornering Ekta on the staircase, Shivlal raised his gun. For a fleeting second, their eyes met.

"Please... what do you want?" Ekta pleaded, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"Your husband's debt," Shivlal replied coldly, his finger tightening on the trigger. "He stole everything from us."

The gunshot echoed through the stairwell. The assailant shot her straight in the heart from close range, causing the bullet to go right through her. They fled immediately — a flight that was fortunately captured on the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera of the opposite building. Ekta's eyes widened in shock before her body crumpled to the ground, lifeless. The sound of the shot reverberated through the building, followed by the chilling silence of death.

Brijesh Bhati rushed up the stairs at the sound, his heart pounding with fear and disbelief. When he saw his wife lying there, eyes vacant and unmoving, he let out a scream that could chill the blood of anyone within earshot.

"Ekta! No, no, no!" Brijesh cried, collapsing beside her. He shook her body, as if trying to wake her from a bad dream. "Stay with me, Ekta! Please, don't leave us!"

But it was too late. Ekta was gone.

Neighbours heard the commotion and emerged from their apartments, their faces pale with shock. Brijesh managed to get Ekta into their car, racing to Columbia Asia Hospital. He spoke to her the entire way, his voice a desperate mantra of pleas and prayers.

"You're going to be okay," he kept saying, his voice cracking. "Just hold on. We're almost there."

But the doctors could do nothing. She was declared dead on arrival. The police soon arrived, and Brijesh was left to answer their questions with a numbness that belied the turmoil within him.

The Past… Time for a flashback!

The Bhatis had left Noida two years prior, trying to escape the entanglements of Brijesh’s checkered past. In Pune, they had hoped for a fresh start. They kept their heads down, ran their mess, and made friends in the community. Ekta, ever the gracious hostess, cooked for their canteen and never charged for the food during festivals. The residents of Indramani Society saw only what the Bhatis wanted them to see—a happy family running a small business. No one knew about the financial debts that weighed heavily on Brijesh or the dangerous people he had crossed.

Shivlal and Mukesh had not come to Pune on a whim. They were sent by Sandhya Puri, a woman who had shared more than just a financial relationship with Brijesh. In Noida, Brijesh had built a web of debt and deceit, dealing in finance, brokerage, and later, real estate. He had owed money to many people, but it was his dealings with Sandhya that would lead to Ekta's murder.

Sandhya and Brijesh had been involved in an affair that was as turbulent as it was illicit. When Brijesh’s debts mounted, he vanished, leaving behind unpaid loans and a vengeful lover. Sandhya had given him Rs 63 lakh, and she wanted her money back. But Brijesh disappeared, only to reappear in Pune with a new life, a new identity.

It was a slap on the face of Sandhya, which she could not forgive. She found Shivlal, a man with a grudge of his own against Brijesh. Shivlal had rented out an excavator to Brijesh, who never paid him the Rs 9 lakh he owed. Together, they hatched a plan to get their revenge.

In a dark room in Delhi, the plan was set.

"Are you sure about this?" Shivlal asked, his voice low.

Sandhya's eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion. "He took everything from us," she said. "Now we take everything from him."

The plan was not to kill Brijesh – but to destroy his life – bit by bit. And the first target was going to be his wife Ekta. And that is how Ekta found herself facing the barrel of a gun and losing her life.

After the murder, Shivlal and Mukesh fled the scene, disappearing into the crowded streets of Pune. But they had not accounted for the CCTV cameras that captured their every move. The police were quickly on their trail, analysing footage and tracking their movements across the city. By 5:40 p.m., they had a lead—the killers were attempting to flee by train. The Jhelum Express, bound for Delhi, was their intended escape route.

At Pune railway station, the police set up a perimeter. Officers from the crime branch and the Government Railway Police (GRP) were on high alert. They combed through the platforms, searching for the fugitives. And then they saw them—two men, looking nervous, trying to blend into the crowd.

"There they are," Inspector Gajanan Pawar said, motioning to his team. "Move in. Don't let them out of your sight."

As they closed in, Shivlal noticed the approaching officers. His eyes widened with fear. "Mukesh, run!" he shouted, pulling out his gun.

Police Inspector Gajanan Pawar moved in to intercept them. But Shivlal was not about to be taken without a fight. He pulled out his gun and fired two shots at Pawar, hitting him in the stomach and cheek. The officer crumpled to the ground as Shivlal and Mukesh bolted in opposite directions.

The chase that ensued was nothing short of a masala movie. GRP constables Praveen Wadekar, Sachin Sawant, and Yuvraj Tekawde pursued Shivlal through the station, the sound of gunfire ringing in their ears. Shivlal was desperate, firing at the officers as he ran. One shot misfired, but another came perilously close to its mark. The chase led them through the subway and into Maldhakka Chowk, where Shivlal tried to lose his pursuers in the maze of buildings.

"You won't catch me!" Shivlal screamed, his voice filled with panic and defiance. "I'm not going down for this!"

But there was no escape. The constables cornered him in a building, wrestling the gun from his hand and pinning him to the ground. Shivlal was taken into custody, his flight finally over. Mukesh was caught later at Daund railway station, ending the manhunt that had gripped the city.

With Shivlal and Mukesh in custody, the police began to unravel the threads that led back to Sandhya Puri. She had been the puppeteer, pulling the strings from afar. Phone records and WhatsApp messages revealed her role in orchestrating the murder. She had fed Shivlal and Mukesh information about the Bhati family, even sending them a photograph of the children and the location of their school. It was chillingly clear that she had planned for more than just Ekta’s murder.

Sandhya was soon arrested in Delhi. During interrogation, she was unrepentant, her demeanour cold and calculating.

"Why did you do it, Sandhya?" the officer asked, leaning across the table. "Was it just for the money?"

Sandhya looked him straight in the eye, her voice calm and detached. "It wasn't just about the money," she replied. "He thought he could betray me and walk away. No one does that to me. No one."

The police also uncovered involvement from Sandhya’s sister, Teena Puri, who had been in contact with Shivlal multiple times before the murder.

As the investigation continued, Brijesh Bhati’s past came under scrutiny. His business dealings in Noida were not just shady—they were criminal. In 2017, Sandhya had filed a rape case against him, alleging that he had forced her into a sexual relationship that lasted for two years. Brijesh claimed it was consensual, but the allegations were serious, and he had spent time behind bars.

In addition to the sexual assault charge, Brijesh had also been involved in a series of financial scams. His relationship with Sandhya had started with car insurance and quickly spiralled into real estate and cash deals. The deeper the police dug, the more they uncovered about Brijesh’s dealings—unpaid loans, bounced cheques, and a history of deceit that had left many people in his wake, desperate for revenge.

Brijesh’s affair with Sandhya was the catalyst for the murder. They had met in 2009, and their relationship quickly turned into a turbulent love affair. Brijesh had taken money from Sandhya, promising to return it once his business picked up. But when his ventures failed, he vanished, leaving her with nothing. Sandhya was left not just heartbroken, but financially ruined.

In 2016, Brijesh resurfaced in Pune, where he began a new life with Ekta and their children. He thought he had escaped his past, but Sandhya had other plans. She tracked him down, discovering his whereabouts through friends and social media. The sight of him living a happy life while she struggled to recover was more than she could bear.

"He took everything from me," Sandhya said during her confession. "He ruined my life, and he thought he could just start over? I wasn't going to let that happen."

The courtroom was packed when Sandhya Puri, Shivlal Babulal Rao, and Mukesh Jagram Rao were brought to trial. The evidence was damning—CCTV footage, phone records, and witness testimonies all pointed to a carefully orchestrated murder. Sandhya maintained her composure throughout, but there was no denying the role she had played. The jury found them guilty of murder, and they were sentenced to life in prison.

But for the Bhati family, there was little solace in the verdict. Justice had been served, but the cost had been unbearably high. Ekta was gone, and nothing could bring her back. The Indramani Society, once a bustling community, now carried the weight of her absence. The neighbours spoke of her in hushed tones, remembering the woman who had brought them together with her warmth and generosity.

The Bhati family was left in ruins. Brijesh, once a man trying to start over, was now a broken shell of himself. His children, who had already lost their mother in the most brutal way, were left to grapple with the reality of their father’s dark past. The mess business that Ekta had nurtured was shut down, the lively hum of students and professionals replaced by a haunting silence.

Brijesh himself became a man hunted by ghosts, not just of his wife but of the life he had tried to escape. He had hoped Pune would be a sanctuary, a place where he could build a new life away from the mistakes of his past. But in the end, his past found him, dragged him back into the shadows he had tried so hard to leave behind.

In the courtroom, Brijesh confronted Sandhya for the first time since the murder.

"Why, Sandhya?" he asked, his voice choked with emotion. "Why did you have to take her from me?"

Sandhya looked at him with an expression that was part hatred, part sorrow. "You took everything from me first, Brijesh," she said quietly. "I just returned the favour."

The jury found them guilty of murder, and they were sentenced to life in prison. But for the Bhati family, the verdict offered little comfort. Ekta was gone, and their lives were shattered beyond repair.

The story of the Bhati family serves as a grim reminder of how the past has a way of catching up with us. Brijesh Bhati’s attempts to leave behind his life of crime and deceit ultimately led to the death of his wife, the unravelling of his family, and the end of the life they had tried to build.

The streets of Viman Nagar continue to bustle with life, the sounds of commerce and everyday routines drowning out the echoes of that fateful morning. But for those who knew the Bhatis, the memory of that cold morning in Pune lingers, a dark chapter in the history of a city that rarely forgets.

(Anirban Bhattacharyya is one of India’s leading true crime authors whose bestselling true crime books include ‘India’s Money Heist: The Chelembra Bank Robbery’, ‘The Deadly Dozen,’ ‘The Hills Are Burning’ and his latest ‘Swipe Right To Kill: The Jaipur Tinder Murder Case.’)