Murder of interfaith couple solved with discovery near ‘haunted’ well

The Govandi police cracked a double murder case involving an interfaith couple thanks to a small packet found near a “haunted well” in the isolated telecom factory area of Govandi. Inside the packet, officers discovered a strip of paper with a mobile number scribbled on it, which belonged to Karan Chandra (22). This discovery helped identify Chandra’s body and unravel the murder case.
Gulnaz Khan (20) and her husband Chandra, both from Banda district in UP, came to Mumbai on Friday. That night, Khan’s father, two brothers, and three others took Chandra to an isolated spot in Govandi, where they allegedly stabbed him multiple times before throwing him into the well, believing it to be a remote location. The well, locally referred to as the “bhutiya pool” or haunted pool, is situated on the other side of a forest.
The next day, children swimming at the pool discovered Chandra’s body. They reported it to the local Govandi police, who called the fire brigade to retrieve the body. During a search of the area within a 100-meter radius of the well, the police found a small wallet-like packet amid scattered alcohol bottles. Inside the packet, they discovered a note with a mobile number written on it. When they called the number, there was no answer.
The police then examined the call records and identified a number that had conversed with the number on the note the day before. They reached out to the individual, who confirmed being based in UP and helped identify the deceased as Chandra.
The discovery of Chandra’s wife’s disappearance led the police to conclude that it was a case of double murder, and Gulnaz’s family members were suspected of involvement. This discovery significantly expedited the case resolution, as it would have been challenging to identify the deceased without the lead provided by the mobile number.
While Chandra’s parents have passed away, his elder brother from Delhi is en route to Mumbai to claim Chandra’s body. A minor, the younger brother of Gulnaz, was apprehended by the police, and they are actively searching for a cousin of Gulnaz who allegedly used his cab to dispose of the couple’s bodies.
The couple had eloped and married in November of the previous year, and their whereabouts were unknown to Gulnaz’s parents until they learned of their return to Mumbai. The police disclosed that Chandra’s last rites were performed in the city on Wednesday by two of his brothers who came from out of town.