Hema Upadhyay-Harish Bhambhani murder case: Shocking twists and turns

An accused in the shocking Mumbai double murder, in his confession, has alleged he lured Hema to the murder scene with a plan allegedly masterminded by Chintan. A look at some shocking developments in the case

‘Chintan Upadhyay living it up in jail': In May this year, one of Hema's closest friends wrote to the Inspector General (Prisons); alleging that Chintan was getting VIP treatment in Thane jail. According to Sanchu Menon, not only was he getting home-cooked food, but was also being allowed to paint in his cell and then sell the paintings for a high price outside. (Read More)

One of the accused a ‘minor': There was a new twist to the case in January 2016, when it emerged that one of the accused was a ‘minor'. This came to light over three weeks after he was arrested and held as an adult. His family presented documents to prove he is 16 years old, and not 19, as the police believed. The family produced several documents - Aadhar card, high school marksheet, school leaving and character certificates, which all state that the accused was born on April 10, 1999. (Read More)

Shocking revelations in Chintan's notes: Pages from Chintan Upadhyay's personal notebook, which were attached to the charge sheet, show a man deeply affected by a broken marriage. The handwritten diary pages, a copy of which is available with mid-day, have, besides Chintan's musings, comical and lurid sketches and drawings of phalluses. Incidentally, Hema had sued Chintan for obscenity after he drew similarly explicit sketches in the bedroom of the house the two shared. (Read More)

Chintan's lawyer allege third-degree torture: In January 2016, his lawyers complained that Chintan was being subjected to third-degree torture as he was forced to sleep on the floor. His application for home food and medical aid for backache was rejected by the court. (Read More)

Before murder, Hema told mum she was going to meet acquaintance: Just before artist Hema Upadhyay was killed, she had called her mother to tell her she was going to meet someone she knew. "On December 11, the day Hema was killed, she had called me around 6.23 pm to inform me that she was going to meet a known person. She told me she would call again at 1 pm the next day," said the 72-year-old. (Read More)

Chintan drew storyboard to plan murder: The police's surprise move of arresting Chintan Upadhyay in December 2015 came after the artist confessed that he had plotted the murder of his estranged wife, Hema, and her lawyer, Harish Bhambhani, and had even paid Rs 22 lakh to the killers for the job. What's more, Chintan - a well-known contemporary artist - drew a detailed storyboard to explain to the killers how they should carry out the murder. (Read More)

Chintan put up Alvida song on FB a day before murder: On the day before Hema was murdered, her husband, Chintan, posted the song ‘Alvida' on his Facebook wall. Was it a knowing farewell to his estranged wife or just bad timing? Evidently, Hema's family members thought it was the first, as demanded a CBI probe to investigate whether Chintan played a role in her death. (Read More)

Napkins were soaked in chemical: During investigations, cops found reason to believe that the crime had been planned in advance, as the accused had easy access to chemicals he might have used to smother the victims. They suspect that this chemical was either chloroform or pesticide, which Vidyadhar Rajbhar aka Gotu would have had easy access to since his brother-in-law runs a pest control service and the chemical was stored in Gotu's Charkop home. (Read More)

‘I strangled her after she slapped me': The neighbour, to whom prime accused Vidyadhar Rajbhar aka Gotu, owed Rs 30,000, told the police that the fabricator owed several people similar amounts totalling Rs 15 lakh. The neighbour also claimed Gotu said he killed Hema in a fit of anger after she slapped him. (Read More)

Day before murder, Hema argued with main accused over Rs 5L: During investigations, cops came to know that Hema and her lawyer Harish were last seen near her art studio in Andheri. The day before that, Hema had been visited in her office by Vidyadhar Rajbhar. He is the owner of an art workshop and warehouse often used by Hema. They had argued over a payment of Rs 5 lakh. The police also learnt that the last call received by Hema was from Gotu, when he called her to his warehouse. Sources said he called her under the pretext of settling their monetary dispute. Sources in the police said they killed Hema and Harish in one of the air-conditioned rooms at the warehouse, packed the bodies in cardboard boxes and cellophane wrapping and lugged them out to a tempo. (Read More)