Greater than 20 years in the past, a newly engaged couple stepped out for dinner on a chilly December evening in Bengaluru. On their means again residence, they determined to cease and watch planes taking off within the air. The choice would show fateful, ending in certainly one of them being murdered—a criminal offense that may shock the town and the state because the case took an unimaginable flip within the days to return.
It was 2003. B V Girish, 27, was a younger software program skilled in Bengaluru, working at a high-paying job at Intel. His household, who stayed in Banashankari Second Stage, have been in search of a bride for him. It was then that advocate Shankaranarayan, certainly one of their neighbours and someone they’d recognized for round 15 years, instructed an alliance together with his daughter, Shubha.
Shubha, 21, was a fifth-semester scholar of Built-in LLB at BMS Legislation Faculty in Bengaluru. The households met, and the wedding was mounted. On November 30, 2003, Girish and Shubha’s engagement was held in Bengaluru, with the marriage date mounted on April 11, 2004.
The households have been overjoyed, desperate to see the couple construct a future collectively—but it surely was to not be.
Kumar, who helped Shubha take the grievously injured Girish to the hospital, supplied the police with their first clue. (Categorical Photograph)
The homicide that shook Bengaluru
Following the engagement, Girish and Shubha, who had solely been exchanging messages till then, began assembly in individual. On December 3, 4 days after the engagement, the couple met for dinner. At round 9.30 pm, the duo, who have been on Girish’s scooter, determined to cease close to HAL airport to look at planes take off. The choice would show expensive.
A person struck Girish on the again of his head with a blunt object. Shubha, who was standing subsequent to Girish, screamed for assist. Listening to her cries, a passerby, Armyman Sujesh Kumar, rushed to assist and took Girish to a hospital. Nonetheless, it was too late. Girish was lifeless.
Round 10.15 pm, Police Inspector Okay Nanaiah was winding up his day on the Vivek Nagar police station when Shubha arrived and reported the homicide. She advised the police that she suspected it was a theft bid as she was sporting gold jewelry.
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Chatting with The Indian Categorical, Nanaiah, who’s retired now, recalled that inside 5 minutes after she reached the police station, a senior police officer referred to as. “It was clear that I might be investigating a high-profile homicide case,” Nanaiah stated.
The case takes an unexpected flip
Kumar, who helped Shubha take the grievously injured Girish to the hospital, supplied the police with their first clue. “They put Girish within the again seat and rushed to Manipal hospital. The Armyman stated that Shubha got here and sat with him within the entrance seat. Her fiancé was bleeding within the again seat,” Nanaiah recalled, saying that the tiny element rankled.
By then, the police have been beneath strain to resolve the case. “Shubha’s father was a recognized advocate. I used to be getting cellphone calls from senior law enforcement officials,” he stated, recollecting how he was even being accused of harassing Shubha by ceaselessly questioning her.
Nanaiah and his staff visited Intel and located that no one had any grudge towards Girish. “His colleagues loved his firm. He was a practical individual,” a police officer stated.
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With no leads forthcoming, the police determined to get the decision element information (CDR) of Girish and Shubha. The CDRs have been revelatory and turned out to be a turning level within the investigation.
Frequent calls and a brand new topic of curiosity
Checking the CDRs, the police seen that Shubha allegedly referred to as Arun Verma, 19, a junior at her faculty, day-after-day, greater than she referred to as Girish. “If Shubha and Girish had exchanged two calls every day, it might be 12-15 with Arun. He grew to become a topic of curiosity, and we began amassing details about him,” the officer stated. Arun was the son of a joint director of a authorities division, an influential individual, the officer added.
Regardless of mounting strain, the investigation staff determined to lie low and never choose anybody up for questioning. Nonetheless, they continued to collect particulars about Arun and Shubha’s affiliation and shortly learnt that they have been allegedly in a relationship.
“Two police constables have been despatched to trace Shubha and Arun’s actions,” Nanaiah stated. The probe staff additionally spoke to Shubha’s mates and a beautician she usually visited. It was confirmed. Shubha and Arun have been in a relationship, and he or she was sad in regards to the alliance with Girish, the police stated.
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Messages result in a breakthrough
It was the early days of cellphones. The police managed to gather the messages between Shubha and Arun, and so they allegedly reconfirmed that they have been concerned in killing Girish. Whereas there have been tons of of messages between the 2, the police targeted on these exchanged a number of hours earlier than and after Girish was murdered.
“Of the tons of of messages, the SMSes shared between 2 pm and 10.30 am on December 3 and 4, 2003, have been probably the most vital. On December 4, 2003, Arun despatched a textual content, ‘I hope all the things is okay, I’m anxious’. To this, Shubha replied calmly, saying that all the things was beneath management,” the officer stated.
Greater than a month after the incident, on January 21, 2004, the police arrested Arun. Inside minutes, Shubha, Dinakar alias Dinesh, Arun’s cousin, and Venkatesh, the alleged assassin, have been additionally arrested. “It took only one hour to arrest all of them. They by no means suspected something amiss and have been roaming freely,” Nanaiah recalled, with fun.
In line with the police, Shankaranarayan allegedly learnt that Shubha and Arun have been in a relationship, and stuck her marriage ceremony. Sad, Shubha and Arun determined to homicide Girish, the police claimed.
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Dinesh employed Venkatesh to execute the homicide, the police stated. Shubha was advised to take Girish to ‘Air View Level’ situated close to HAL on Airport Street. Venkatesh adopted them and hit Girish with an iron rod, the police stated.
What got here as a shock to the police was that Venkatesh had allegedly killed Girish for a paltry Rs 1,500 and a cell phone.
Sentenced to life imprisonment
The Girish homicide case grew to become a sensation after Shubha was arrested. In July 2010, a particular fast-track courtroom convicted all 4 accused—Shubha, Arun, Dinakar, and Venkatesh—discovering them responsible of homicide and prison conspiracy. The accused have been sentenced to life imprisonment, with Shubha being given an extra three years for trying to destroy proof.
It was a landmark case in Karnataka’s authorized historical past because the courtroom thought of the SMS time stamps, name information and messages as proof to convict the killers.
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The accused approached the Karnataka Excessive Court docket in 2010, difficult the order, however in November, the excessive courtroom junked their attraction.
In 2012, Shubha moved the Supreme Court docket, difficult her conviction, and secured bail. On July 14 this yr, the Supreme Court docket upheld the judgment of the decrease courtroom however allowed Shuba to submit a mercy petition earlier than the Karnataka governor.
“We don’t want to finish our judgment by merely rendering a conviction. We do imagine that this courtroom has a little bit extra function to play. Contemplating that we began our dialogue holding in thoughts that this unlucky occasion wouldn’t have occurred had the household been extra sympathetic in understanding the psychological predilection and disposition of A-4 (Shubha), it is crucial for us to make sure observations. Finally, A-4 was unable to decide for herself, regardless of being a person who had attained majority. Having stated so, we can’t condone her motion because it resulted within the lack of an harmless lifetime of a younger man,” the Supreme Court docket stated in its order.
“They weren’t born as criminals, but it surely was an error of judgment by means of a harmful journey which led to the fee of a heinous crime. It’s tough for us to resolve at this stage who influenced the opposite, though there’s a clear assembly of minds,” the order said.
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A household’s pursuit of justice
In line with Nanaiah, Shubha’s household hyperlinks to the regulation and judiciary led her to imagine that she may get away with the homicide. “Issues turned out precisely the other,” he stated.
Talking in regards to the latest Supreme Court docket judgment, Nanaiah stated the credit score went to Girish’s household. “Girish’s father, Anantha Narayana Rao, was in his 70s when the crime was dedicated. He adopted each courtroom listening to until his final breath in 2007. Girish’s sister additionally relentlessly pursued the case,” Nanaiah added.
Sunitha B V, Girish’s sister, stated that giving up was by no means an possibility. “My brother was an harmless individual. He didn’t know something,” she stated, including, “Shankaranarayan was our neighbour, and our households had recognized one another for 15 years. The proposal was introduced by Shankaranarayan himself. It value us our brother.”