Yearender 2022: Three spine-chilling murders that shocked the entire country this year

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As the year 2022 comes to an end, we look back at what India witnessed this year. 2022 would be remembered for many important crime news which shocked the entire country. Here are three grisly murders that were unearthed by security agencies this year.

Sidhu Moose Wala Murder Case

Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, better known by his stage name Sidhu Moose Wala, an Indian rapper was shot dead by a group of shooters reportedly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang on May 29 in Jawaharke village of Mansa district. A high-level inquiry was initiated by the police. Upon investigating the matter, the police had said that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang had initially claimed responsibility for the murder in an unverified Facebook post, which Bishnoi denied creating, he is considered the mastermind by the officials in Moose Wala's murder.

According to police, on May 29, at around 4:30 pm, Sidhu left his house with his cousin Gurpreet Singh and neighbor Gurwinder Singh. Moose Wala was driving his black SUV. He was going to his aunt's house in Barnala. At around 5:30 pm, when the SUV reached Jawaharke, two other cars intercepted and blocked his vehicle. At least thirty rounds were fired at him. After the shootout, the attackers fled the crime scene. His father took Moose Wala to the civil hospital in Mansa, where he was declared dead.

The Mansa Police have charged his killers with murder, and criminal conspiracy, apart from other relevant sections of the IPC and the Arms Act. So far the police have chargesheeted at least 31 accused in the matter.

Shraddha Walker Murder Case

A 27-year-old Shraddha Walker, a Vasai, Maharashtra resident was strangled to death allegedly by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawala, 28, on May 18, 2022. The Delhi Police, after unearthing the brutal murder case, had claimed that her body was chopped into 35 pieces allegedly by her boyfriend Aftab who bought a 300-liter refrigerator to store her body parts in it. Aftab later kept her body parts in the refrigerator at his residence in Chhatarpur for three weeks before dumping them in different parts of Delhi over several days.

In November, after Shraddha's father reached out to the Manikpur Police in Vasai with his daughter's missing complaint, the Manikpur Police informed the Delhi Police which registered a complaint and detained Aftab for questioning. After sustained interrogations, the police placed Aftab under arrest. Police teams investigating the case had recovered 13 bone pieces from the forest in Chhatarpur and nearby areas. Blood samples were also recovered from the bathroom and kitchen of the rented house where Aftab had been living with Shraddha. Aftab is at present in judicial custody and has been lodged in jail.

Also read: Yearender 2022: Three top Maharashtra political leaders who were jailed this year

Ankita Bhandari Murder Case

On September 18, a 19-year-old Uttarakhand-based resort receptionist, Ankita Bhandari was allegedly pushed into a canal following an altercation. The police investigations revealed the involvement of three accused in her murder including the owner of the resort. The three accused - former BJP leader and state minister Vinod Arya's son Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar, and assistant manager Ankit Gupta were arrested by the police in connection with the murder case.

Police reportedly confirmed that they have found evidence suggesting the three accused were allegedly pressuring Bhandari to provide 'special services' to guests and on her refusal she was killed. Her body was recovered from a canal on September 24, six days after she went missing from the resort.