Love Triangle Leads To Pune Businessman's Murder In Guwahati Hotel, 2 Arrested

Assam Police arrested two suspects after a Pune-based businessman was found lying dead in a Guwahati Hotel.

Guwahati: A Pune-based businessman, Sandeep Suresh Kamble, was found lying dead in a pool of blood in a room at Radisson Blu Hotel in Assam’s Guwahati on Monday, by the hotel staff. The hotel staff immediately informed the local police who soon rushed to the hotel and started an investigation.  

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Guwahati Commissioner of Police (CP), Diganta Barah, said that the Guwahati police on Monday at 4 pm, received information from the management of the Radisson Blu Hotel, stating that a phone call was received at the hotel reception, that the guest at room 922, might be sick and someone should check on him. Immediately, the hotel management rushed to the room and found the guest Sandeep Suresh Kamble (44) from Maharashtra’s Pune district, lying dead in a pool of blood.

Upon receipt of the information, a team led by West Guwahati Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) soon reached the place of occurrence. The police team saw that the person was already dead and there were blood stains all around the room. The police immediately started an investigation into the incident.

Further investigations revealed that Kamble had checked into the hotel in the company of Anjali Shaw, aged 25, from West Bengal's Howrah district. CCTV footage indicated that Shaw had departed the room with another individual, identified as Vikash Kumar Shaw, aged 23, also from Howrah district.

“Subsequently, a First Information Report (FIR) was also received on Tuesday from Vishal Kamble, brother of the victim, and the same was registered at the Jalukbari police station in Guwahati vide case number 53/24, under section 302/34 (murder and common intention), of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). On receipt of information about the suspected murder, teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Guwahati and finger print experts from the Crime investigation Department (CID) of the Assam police were requisitioned and the investigation was taken up. The details of the victim were taken from the records of Radisson Blu Hotel and it was found that he had checked in at the hotel at around 12.50 pm on Monday along with a woman Anjali Shaw (25), a resident of South Baksara, under the jurisdiction of Santragachi police station, in West Bengal’s Howrah district,” CP Barah said.

“The details of Anjali were found along with her photo identification (ID). On analysis of CCTV footage of the hotel, it was found that Anjali had left the room along with another person at around 2.45 pm the same day. When the movement of the third person was tracked in the CCTV footage, it was found that he too was lodged in the same hotel at room 1024. On searching the details, it was found that the third person was Vikash Kumar Shaw (23), a resident of 12/6 Hrishikesh Ghosh Lane, Saikia, under the jurisdiction of Golabari police station, in West Bengal’s Howrah district. The details along with photographs of the two suspects were immediately circulated among the local police for interception. On checking further their names at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati, it was found that both Anjali and Vikash had booked an air ticket to West Bengal’s Kolkata and their time of departure was 9.15 pm," he informed.

The mobile phone, from which the phone call came to the hotel reception, was found to be of one of the suspects Vikash. On the basis of the information gathered about the suspects, a police “naka” (checking), was set up at the Borjhar Outpost (OP) area along the roads leading to the airport, and both the suspects were apprehended by teams from the Borjhar OP at 5.42 pm, when they were on their way to the airport. Both the suspects were then thoroughly interrogated by the police and they finally confessed to committing the crime,” the senior cop added.

The investigation shed light on a complex web of relationships and motives. Kamble, despite being married, had developed an intimate relationship with Anjali Shaw during a business trip to Kolkata.

However, the relationship soured when Kamble became possessive and began blackmailing Shaw with intimate photographs.

“The victim, Sandeep, dealt in cars and diamonds, and on business purposes, used to travel across the country. During one such business trip to Kolkata in September 2023,  Sandeep came in contact with Anjali, who was a store manager in a restaurant at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Both  Sandeep and Anjali exchanged their mobile phone numbers and since then, they have been in touch. Their relationship became closer and intimate. They also spent nights together at hotels in Kolkata and Pune. During such intimate encounters,  Sandeep took some photographs of their intimate moments.  Sandeep also used to send expensive gifts to Anjali.  Sandeep, though already married, wanted to marry Anjali and kept on forcing her to break off her relationship with her boyfriend Vikash. Gradually, their relationship fell apart and Anjali started avoiding  Sandeep, but he became more possessive and started blackmailing Anjali showing the photographs of their intimate moments. At one point in time, Anjali snapped all relationships with  Sandeep.  Sandeep became aggressive and started contacting the family members of Anjali and her boyfriend Vikash in a bid to force her to marry him. Sandeep also shared his and Anjali’s intimate photographs with Vikash,” CP Barah added.

“When Anjali could not bear the regular torture any longer, she along with Vikash hatched a plan to meet  Sandeep at a hotel and snatch his phones so that the blackmailing could stop. They decided that Anjali would plan a meeting with Sandeep at Kolkata and Vikash would join them, and together, they would overpower him and take away his phones. They also planned to sedate Sandeep to carry out this plan and accordingly, Anjali brought anti-depressant tablets, sleeping pills, and cannabis-infused “laddoos” (round sweets), to feed Sandeep. Both the accused also got five pieces of ropes prepared with clothes to tie. Sandeep once he is overpowered. For this, Anjali contacted Sandeep again and wanted to meet him like they used to meet before, but Sandeep became suspicious and refused to meet her in Kolkata and instead, agreed to meet her in Guwahati, as he believed that he met Anjali in Kolkata for the first time on his way back from Guwahati after visiting Kamakhya Temple and he wanted to have a temple “darshan” (view) again and they could also meet. Accordingly, on Monday, all three persons came to Guwahati separately," the officer informed.

The plan a turn for the worse when a scuffle between Kamble and Vikash resulted in Kamble's severe injuries and subsequent death. The suspects then fled the scene but were apprehended by police en route to the airport.

"Anjali met Sandeep at the LGBIA and then left for Radisson Blu Hotel where they checked in at room 922. This information was passed on to Vikash by Anjali and he too arrived at the hotel and checked into room 1024. Anjali kept the door of their hotel room open so that Vikash could enter. At around 2 pm, Vikash entered Anjali and Sandeep’s room as planned. After that, a scuffle ensued between Vikash and  Sandeep. During the scuffle, Sandeep was severely injured and later died. Finding Sandeep in unconscious condition and bleeding profusely from nose, they decided to leave the hotel room. After that, at around 2.45 pm, Anjali and Vikash left the hotel and initially went to the Kamakhya railway station in Guwahati to board a train for Kolkata but later, they changed their plan and decided to board a flight at 9.15 pm on the day where their tickets were pre-booked. Accordingly, they were fleeing towards the LGBIA when they were intercepted, detained and finally arrested,” he further said.

The police recovered crucial evidence, including blood-stained clothes, the victim's mobile phone, cannabis-infused sweets, and strips of anti-depressant tablets and sleeping pills, along with mobile phones belonging to the suspects containing incriminating conversations.

The Guwahati police have recovered the clothes of the accused which were stained with Sandeep’s blood, the mobile phone of the victim, cannabis-infused laddoos, strips of anti-depressant tablets and sleeping pills, and mobile phones of both accused, with chats where they had planned the entire episode.

The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.

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