A 26-year-old man allegedly travelled nearly 2,000 kilometres from Surat to his home in Bihar’s Samastipur district and killed his sleeping father with an axe after watching the Bollywood crime thriller Drishyam 3, police said.
The accused, identified as Shiv Shankar, allegedly switched off his mobile phone before travelling to Bihar, apparently to avoid leaving a digital trail. However, a brief phone call to his wife after the alleged murder eventually provided investigators with a crucial lead.
Father-son dispute preceded murder
The incident took place late on July 26 in Darwa village of Samastipur. Police said the victim, Raghuveer Sahni, 50, was sleeping outside his house when his son allegedly attacked him with an axe.
Investigators said Shiv Shankar had a strained relationship with his father. The two had reportedly quarrelled several times over a family land dispute. Police also said the accused had alleged that his father had mistreated him and his wife.
Shiv Shankar had been living and working in Surat with his wife before returning to his village.
Long journey from Surat to Bihar
According to police, Shiv Shankar watched Drishyam 3 at a theatre in Surat before allegedly deciding to travel to Samastipur.
He switched off his mobile phone before beginning the journey. Police said he travelled to Patna and then went to Hajipur before boarding a train to Patori.
After getting down at Patori station, he reportedly travelled by autorickshaw and walked around four kilometres to reach his village. He allegedly entered his house through the rear entrance around midnight.
Police said he picked up an axe kept inside the house and allegedly attacked his father while he was asleep. After the killing, he left the weapon behind and returned towards Patori railway station.
One phone call exposed the plan
The alleged murder plan began to unravel when Shiv Shankar switched his phone back on at Patori station and called his wife.
He switched the phone off again shortly afterwards, but investigators were able to detect the brief activity.
Police were already suspicious because Shiv Shankar did not attend his father’s funeral. Technical surveillance reportedly showed that his mobile phone was near Patori railway station on the day of the murder and later appeared in Surat around 36 hours afterwards.
Investigators also examined his call records and identified his conversation with his wife from Patori.
Police trace accused to Surat
Using technical surveillance and other evidence, investigators traced Shiv Shankar to Surat and arrested him in connection with the murder.
A forensic team examined the crime scene, while Raghuveer’s body was sent for post-mortem examination. Police also collected other evidence from the house.
Investigators said the circumstances at the crime scene suggested that the victim was likely killed by someone known to him, helping narrow the investigation.
Police link murder plan to Drishyam
Police said Shiv Shankar allegedly drew inspiration from Drishyam 3, particularly the film’s depiction of creating a false timeline and avoiding digital evidence.
However, despite switching off his phone for most of the journey, his brief call to his wife from Patori provided investigators with an important electronic trail.
Police said the accused later admitted during questioning that he had planned the murder after watching the film. He was subsequently sent to judicial custody.