How A Scrap Of Paper, Sniffer Dog Cracked A 70-Year-Old's Murder In Madhya Pradesh

For two months, the murder of 70-year-old Shivnarayan Kaurav haunted Madhya Pradesh's Gangepura village. His body had been found in his field with his throat slit, no eyewitnesses, and no clear suspects -- just silence, fear, and a mystery that refused to go away.

Until a torn piece of paper and a sniffer dog changed everything.

Police in Bhind have now arrested three men for the crime -- the victim's nephew Shivratan Kaurav, his grandson Mahendra Kaurav, and a village resident, Badam Singh. The axe and iron rod used in the killing have also been recovered on the basis of their confessions.

According to Sub-Divisional Police Officer Praveen Tripathi, the murder was the climax of a bitter land dispute over nearly 50 bighas (31 acres) of ancestral property.

After the death of Shivnarayan's sister, Surja Devi, her husband, Ramswaroop Gautam, filed a court case claiming his wife's share in the ancestral land. Shivnarayan supported his sister's legal claim and testified in court.

That testimony made him a marked man. His nephew Shivratan and grandson Mahendra had occupied the disputed land. However, Shivnarayan's support for the opposing claim enraged them. Police said the two plotted his murder with the help of Badam Singh.

On the night of November 14-15, Shivnarayan was sleeping in his field, guarding his crops.

That is when the attackers struck. According to police, the assailants slit his throat with an axe, killing him on the spot, and fled into the darkness. By morning, the village was in shock -- an old man murdered in cold blood, with no clear trail.

During the initial investigation, police found a small, crumpled piece of paper near the body. On it were several names blurred, partially legible, and almost meaningless.  

Investigators preserved it. When forensic teams and a dog squad were called in, officers made the sniffer dog smell the paper. What followed stunned everyone.

The dog led police straight to the house of Badam Singh. Villagers and family members also expressed suspicion about him, strengthening the trail.

Badam Singh was detained and questioned. At first, he tried to mislead investigators. But under sustained interrogation, he broke down. He revealed the conspiracy and named Shivratan and Mahendra.

Police then picked up the nephew and grandson. Faced with evidence and Badam Singh's confession, they too confessed to the crime.

The weapons, an axe and an iron rod, were recovered based on their statements.

All three accused have been arrested and produced before a court, which sent them to police remand. Alampur police say further investigation is underway to reconstruct the crime fully and rule out any additional involvement.

What began as a routine property dispute ended in a savage killing.

What seemed like a perfect crime unraveled because someone dropped a piece of paper and a dog followed its scent.

In Gangepura, the fields are quiet again. But the truth, once buried with Shivnarayan Kaurav, has finally come out of the soil.