- Ajay Tomar was jailed for murdering his father Hanuman Singh Tomar in 2017
- Ajay's brother Bhanu sought revenge and planned a murder after Ajay’s parole
- A 17-year-old girl helped Bhanu lure Ajay into a trap for the killing
A man jailed for killing his father, his brother counting days, months, years for revenge, a teenage girl luring the target, and a highway shooting by hired killers -- a murder in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri has shown that truth can be infinitely more sinister than fiction.
In 2017, retired police inspector Hanuman Singh Tomar was riddled with bullets and his son, Bhanu Tomar, had a narrow escape. Hanuman Singh Tomar's elder son, Ajay, was convicted of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. As Ajay went behind bars, his brother Bhanu waited to avenge their father. Bhanu got a job in the police force on compassionate grounds after his father was murdered, and for the past seven years, he waited for revenge.
Last month, Ajay, now 40, stepped out of prison on parole. Nine days later, on July 23, he was in a car travelling from Shivpuri to Gwalior. With him was a 17-year-old girl he had befriended recently. After seven years in prison, Ajay was in an upbeat mood. What he did not know was that his female companion was a mole and that he had unknowingly walked into a murder plot. Hours later, he was showered with bullets, much like his father eight years back. Bhanu got his revenge.
The Backstory
On May 23, 2017, Ajay walked into his father, Hanuman Singh Tomar's home in Gwalior. They argued over family property and money. The altercation ended with Ajay firing four bullets into his father's head at point-blank range. In the trial that followed, Ajay's mother, Shakuntala Devi, and brother, Bhanu, testified against him. Ajay was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
A Brother's Chilling Plan
According to police, Bhanu spotted a chance when Ajay was granted parole and was meticulous in his planning. The 17-year-old girl who accompanied Ajay was an accused in a gangrape case who escaped from a juvenile home in Indore. Bhanu reached out to her. She befriended Ajay, gained his trust and agreed to travel with him to Gwalior. For the shooting, Bhanu roped in Dharmendra Kushwaha, a hardened criminal recently released from prison after serving time for another murder. Kushwaha and Bhanu struck a deal for Rs 1 lakh for Ajay's murder. Some reports pointed to another detail: Bhanu got in touch with Dharmendra through Instagram.
A Highway Murder
CCTV footage scanned by the police shows Ajay's car heading towards Gwalior and hired killers tailing it. Near a petrol pump at Nayagaon Tiraha, the 17-year-old asked Ajay if they can stop as she needed to use the restroom. Clueless about the murder plot, Ajay agreed. The girl stepped out of the car. The killers got their signal. Within seconds, the killers approached the car and rained bullets on Ajay. He was dead. In the days that followed, Bhanu played the grieving brother and attended Ajay's last rites. Three days after Ajay's murder, Bhanu quietly fled to Bangkok.
How Police Cracked the Case
Racing against time to solve the chilling murder case, police scanned CCTV footage of 500 cameras between Shivpuri and Gwalior. In one of the frames, the 17-year-old was seen getting out of a car. This car belonged to Bhanu. Dharmendra and Bhanu's cousin Monesh, who was part of the conspiracy, was arrested soon after. The girl was also taken into custody. Police recovered the murder weapon, a .315 bore pistol, along with other evidence tying Bhanu to the crime.
Bhanu is now in Bangkok and police are trying to bring him back. Shivpuri Superintendent of Police Aman Singh Rathore said a "a family feud became an execution mission". He said a lookout circular has been issued in Bhanu's name and his passport is being flagged to the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure his return. "We will get him," the police officer said.
