Murder Mystery- Neeraj Grover Case

 

NEERAJ GROVER MURDER CASE

Neeraj Grover was the victim of a murder case. Maria Susairaj, a kannada actress, happened to be the lady to whom Neeraj was attracted. Their affection and intimacy grew to a certain level over a period of time. On 7 May 2008, he was allegedly killed by Emile Jerome Mathew, Maria’s fiancée. Mathew, in the rage of anger and without any premeditation, in a sudden fight, killed Neeraj Grover.

 

Context

Neeraj Grover was a person from the television industry and was working in Mumbai as a creative executive director of a renowned show. He also held auditions for various shows through which he was able to meet Maria Monica Susairaj, a Kannada actress. Neeraj met Maria in his office for the purpose of audition. Since Maria belonged to Kannada industry, her hindi accent was not productive enough to give her a role in hindi television industry. Neeraj had a clue that she had anomalies but was attracted to her personality instead. Neeraj soon befriended her and they became good friends. They exchanged their phone numbers and in no time made conversations via calls and SMS. Their friendship grew and they started meeting each other more frequently. Gradually, Maria found a rented apartment flat 201 in Dheeraj Solitaire apartments, Malad, Mumbai and shifted there in no time.

 

Facts related to the case

Maria was already engaged to Emile Jerome Mathew, a naval officer posted in Cochin. Mattew affirmed that Maria and Neeraj were involved in deep friendship which he found objectionable on his side. He was possessive and hypersensitive for Maria. On the night of 6^th May, 2008, Neeraj went to Maria’s newly rented flat to help her settle. However, Mattew suspected Grover’s presence in her flat and asked Maria to send him away and not let him stay that night. But Mattew was hunched with the fact that Neeraj would spend the night in her flat which was not acceptable by him.

On 7^th May, 2008, Matthew managed to reach Maria’s flat early in the morning at 7 AM. He rang the doorbell couple of times and the delayed response grew his suspicion. Maria, in hurry, ran to open the door and found Mathew standing at her doorstep. She was shocked as Mathew barged inside her house and saw Neeraj. Mathew and Grover got involved into indignant arguments and they ended up in physical clash. Mathew’s insecurity and anger grew adversely which forced him to bring a knife from the apartment’s kitchen and stab Neeraj repeatedly until he was dead.

 Scared and devastated, Maria and Mathew didn’t know what to do. However, reportedly, at 10 AM, on 7^th May 2008, Maria decided to purchase bed sheets, curtains, two duffel bags and a knife so as to destroy the crime scene and escape punishment. Both Maria and Mathew brutally cut Neeraj’s body into 300 small pieces and put it in the duffle bags together. They changed the bed sheets and the curtains to knock down every single piece of evidence. At around 4 PM, Maria borrowed her neighbour’s car, put the bags on the boot space and with Mathew, drove out of the city. Both of them, terrified, thought of disposing the body pieces and get rid of it. They bought sufficient quantity of petrol from the outskirts of the city to avoid suspicion. They then set the body pieces into fire and got rid of the body. Later, they returned back to Mumbai on the same night.

As that being a matter, Neeraj was tried to be contacted by his family and friends as he was reportedly missing from the evening of 6^th May. Because of no response by Neeraj, a police report of him was filed by his friends and family.  Maria was readily suspected by his friends and family for Neeraj’s disappearance. The Police quickly commenced the inquiry the next day beginning from Maria. Maria’s statement bought the police in the conclusion that Neeraj did visit her place and left in the midnight for a party coincidentally leaving behind his phone at her apartment.

 

Evidences found, leading to suspicion

The forensic team was sent to Maria’s house for the investigation and also because of the growing suspicion on her. On-going process of investigation by the forensic team led to reveal that the bed sheets, curtains and everything leading to suspicion was newly brought. It was also discovered that the latch of the door and some other places had blood stains. The blood stains were collected and sent for examination and identification.

In a similar phase, Maria also filed a police complaint on 9^th May at Malad police station. She informed the police that Neeraj went missing since she last met her on May 6^th in her apartment and a matter of fact that he left his phone behind.

 

Police Investigation leading to clarity of the case

1. The collected blood stains where examined and was found that it belonged to Neeraj.

 2. Neeraj’s mobile phone recovered from Maria’s apartment was thoroughly searched which revealed that Neeraj’s phone received an SMS on May 7^th evening, the day he was murdered. This declined Maria’s statement of Neeraj being missing since 6^th May as the SMS was received on the evening of 7^th May which traced back the location at Dahisar check Naka.

3. The debit card records of Maria where checked by the police as the suspicion rose and investigation being held meticulously. This revealed that the bed sheets, curtains and others stuffs including the duffel bags and a knife where purchased by her from a nearby mall in the morning of May 7^th.

4. In further investigation it was found that the car which they borrowed to dispose the body pieces actually didn’t belong to the neighbor.

5. The statements of watchman and the attendee at the petrol pump from where they bought petrol were recorded which clarified the situation thus testifying the collected evidences.

 

Confessions made

1. When all the evidences went against Maria, she was bound to confess that the murder of Neeraj Grover has been committed.

2. On the basis of the confession made, Mathew was arrested for commission of murder.

3. The trial was processed and the decision was to be announced by the Mumbai sessions court.

 

Verdict

After a careful and detailed analysis of all the evidences found and collected in the case, the witnesses and proofs from both sides, the Additional session judge pronounced his decision. Emile Jerome Matthew was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under section 304 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and imprisonment of 10 years was sentenced to him.

Maria was penalized for an offence which was destructing the evidence under the section 204 IPC and with 3 years of imprisonment. The court did not hold her guilty of murder.

According to the court, the murder of Neeraj Grover was not premeditated which is an exception to section 300 IPC. The death was caused due to anger, rage, and quarrel thus pleading him guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.