Drishyam-style murder: Gujarat man kills lover, hides body in well, misleads cops for months

Junagadh police has solved a sensational murder case bearing eerie similarities to the Bollywood thriller Drishyam, uncovering the brutal killing of a woman whose skeletal remains were found in a well—13 months after she went missing.  

Junagadh police cracked a chilling murder case that mirrored the plot of Drishyam, following the discovery of 35-year-old Daya Savaliya’s skeletal remains in a well. The prime suspect, 28-year-old Hardik Sukhadia, managed to mislead investigators for over a year, even passing a Layered Voice Analysis (LVA) test, before finally breaking under interrogation, the TOI report said.

Daya, a resident of Rupavati village in Visavadar, went missing on January 2, 2024, after leaving home with gold jewelry and Rs 9.60 lakh in cash, reported Times of India (TOI). Her husband filed a missing complaint, prompting an intense police search. Investigators suspected Hardik, her alleged lover, but he misled them by claiming she had eloped with another man. He even stopped using his phone and faked calls to misdirect authorities.

Despite Hardik passing the LVA test, the local crime branch, led by Inspector Jatin Patel, continued digging. Fresh technical and circumstantial evidence finally broke his facade, leading to his confession. Hardik admitted to killing Daya on January 3, 2024, near Hadala village in Amreli district. He bludgeoned her with stones before dumping her body in a well. The police recovered her remains on February 27 with the help of forensic teams and the Amreli fire brigade.

Investigators revealed that Hardik wanted to end the relationship, but Daya’s persistence led him to plan her murder. The case highlights the challenges of modern crime-solving, as Hardik used free calling apps and a fake hotel stay under his ex-wife’s ID to cover his tracks. With forensic analysis now underway, police aim to build an airtight case against him.