- Piyush Dhamnotiya murdered his 24-year-old MBA girlfriend in Indore, involving sexual assault
- The victim disappeared after attending a party, with objectionable videos posted from her phone later
- Police found her decomposed body in Dhamnotiya's locked rented house two days after her disappearance
The cameras were already rolling when Piyush Dhamnotiya stepped into view. He did not attempt to hide his face. He did not lower his voice. Instead, he smiled faintly and spoke in a tone that was unsettlingly calm.
"Whatever had to happen had already happened. Leave it. What will you do after knowing?" he told reporters. "Time will come, I will tell everything."
The remarks came days after he murdered his 24-year-old girlfriend, an MBA student, inside his rented accommodation in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, a crime that police allege involved sexual assault, strangulation, and acts of necrophilia.
The case has since exposed disturbing details which include a missing complaint that families say was not acted upon quickly, explicit videos circulated from the victim's phone, CCTV footage showing the accused leaving alone with a bag, and what police describe as bizarre behaviour by the suspect after the killing, including attempts to perform rituals to "summon" the woman's "spirit".
The Disappearance
The victim, a first-year MBA student at an institute in Indore, left home on Tuesday after telling her family she needed to get her birth certificate corrected. Her father dropped her near the collectorate earlier that day.
Later, she spoke to her younger sister on the phone and said she would attend a birthday gathering with her classmate and boyfriend, Piyush Dhamnotiya, and would return home by 11 pm.
She never did.
Around 11 pm that night, a message was sent from her phone: "Tell Papa she won't be returning home."
Soon afterwards, the phone was switched off.
Around the same time, objectionable videos showing the woman were posted to a college WhatsApp group from her phone. Her face was visible, while the face of the other individual was obscured with emojis. Investigators suspect the man in the footage was Dhamnotiya.
The college management removed the content and contacted her father the next day, Wednesday, informing him both about the video and the fact that the phones of both students were switched off.
Alarmed, the family began searching for her. A missing person complaint was eventually registered late Wednesday night after the family approached multiple police stations.
The family later alleged that there had been little urgency in tracing her despite repeated pleas. According to them, a police officer visited Dhamnotiya's rented house in Dwarkapuri area of Indore, locked it from the outside, and left, saying the landlord would be informed if anyone arrived.
The Discovery
Two days later, on Friday, residents in the locality complained of a strong foul smell coming from the locked house.
Police broke open the door.
Inside, they found the woman's naked body lying in an advanced state of decomposition. The victim's father later said the body had deteriorated so severely that he could identify his daughter only by the socks she was wearing.
Rope marks were visible around her neck, indicating strangulation. An initial medical assessment estimated the time of death to be around three days earlier, consistent with the day she disappeared.
Police recovered CCTV footage from cameras near the rented accommodation.
According to police, the footage shows Dhamnotiya arriving at the house with the woman on February 10. Approximately two and a half hours later, he is seen leaving alone, carrying a bag.
What Police Allege
Police allege that Dhamnotiya pressured the woman for sex. She refused, saying she was unwell. Police claim he then raped her.
Afterwards, police say he tied her hands and feet with ropes available in the apartment and blindfolded her, telling her he wanted to give her a "gift."
When she resisted again, police allege he stuffed cloth into her mouth and sat on her chest, choking her until she lost consciousness.
Realising she had stopped breathing, police say he stabbed her near the chest with a knife with such force that the blade broke.
Police further allege that he remained inside the room after the killing, went out to purchase beer, returned, and drank beside her body.
During interrogation, he allegedly admitted to sexually assaulting the body before changing his clothes and fleeing, leaving the victim naked.
The Videos
Police say 11 objectionable videos were circulated using the victim's phone after the incident.
The clips were shared in a college WhatsApp group, uploaded to her WhatsApp status, and sent to contacts saved on her phone, alarming relatives and acquaintances.
The victim's father alleged that his daughter had been mentally tortured and blackmailed by Dhamnotiya before her death. He said she had expressed concerns to her younger sister.
The Suspect's Movements
After leaving Indore, police say Dhamnotiya travelled to Mumbai, moving through Panvel and staying in hotels.
Police say he roamed metro stations and destroyed the victim's mobile phone to eliminate evidence.
According to police, he went to a secluded location in Panvel, lit incense sticks, watched YouTube videos on how to "summon spirits", and attempted what investigators described as "black magic" rituals.
The Arrest
Dhamnotiya, originally from Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur where his father runs a grocery store, had moved to Indore for his MBA studies.
He was arrested in Mumbai with assistance from Mumbai Police and brought back to Indore. He is currently on police remand for interrogation.
During interrogation, police say Dhamnotiya gave multiple versions of events.
In one account, he claimed he wanted to marry the woman but believed she was distancing herself and had not spoken to him for about 15 days. He said he saw a dating app on her phone and assumed she was communicating with another man, leading to an argument that escalated.
