Bhopal Police solved the sensational double murder of an elderly couple in Sudama Nagar under the Aishbag police station limits by arresting two brothers on Tuesday. The arrested suspects have been identified as property broker Shrikant Chichalia, 40, and his younger brother Shashikant Chichalia, 35, who is a practicing physiotherapist. Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar announced the breakthrough on Wednesday, stating that both suspects confessed to the crime during intense interrogation. The blood-soaked bodies of Hemant Barik, alias Hemant Philemon, and his wife Shakuntala Philemon were discovered at their Sudama Nagar residence on June 27. Investigative reports revealed that the prime suspect, Shrikant Chichalia, had been acquainted with the elderly victims for the last two years and had previously assisted them in a property transaction. Exploiting this familiarity, Shrikant Chichalia forged a fraudulent gift deed to seize the property. This counterfeit document stipulated that the ownership of the Sudama Nagar house would transfer to Shrikant and Shashikant after the couple’s death. To strengthen the conspiracy, Shakuntala’s sister-in-law, Shivani, signed the forged deed as a witness. Property sale triggered murder plot According to the police, the fraudulent plan was progressing smoothly until Shrikant Chichalia learned that Hemant Philemon was preparing to sell the property. Fearing that a sale to a third party would render the forged deed worthless and cost them a prime multi-crore asset, the brothers plotted the double murder. Police database files indicate that Shrikant Chichalia, currently residing in Windsor Palm Colony, Kajlikheda, is a history-sheeter with eight criminal cases registered against him at Shahpura police station, including fraud and assault. GAIT analysis secures scientific evidence Advanced forensic techniques, specifically gait analysis, combined with technical surveillance played a pivotal role in cracking the blind murder.

 

Closed-circuit television footage captured two suspicious individuals near the crime scene on the night of the incident. When the police detained the Chichalia brothers, investigators conducted a physical walk test. Their walking styles, physical statures, and body language perfectly matched those of the suspects seen in the surveillance footage, forcing the brothers to confess to the crime. Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar had constituted a Special Investigation Team headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Umesh Tiwari, which included station house officers Sandeep Pawar, Rajan Ahirwar, and Rasbihari Sharma, to crack the complex case. A high-density force comprising 20 separate police squads worked continuously to collect physical and electronic evidence. Given the public outcry and severity of the crime, the police department had also announced a cash reward of fifty thousand rupees for any information leading to the suspects’ arrest. Investigators suspect that the conspiracy was not limited to the two brothers and likely involved an insider. Consequently, police are conducting rigorous questioning of Shakuntala’s sister-in-law, Shivani, who is the wife of Shakuntala’s brother, Vinod. Since Vinod is the officially designated nominee in the couple’s property records, police are actively probing whether Shivani knowingly facilitated the murders or operated under duress. Search continues for murder weapons Despite solving the crime, major investigative challenges persist as the two firearms used in the double murder remain unrecovered. Police officials confirmed that the killers utilised two separate single-shot pistols illegally purchased from Agar Malwa. Police have obtained custody of the suspects to establish the exact sequence of events inside the house on that rainy night, locate the missing murder weapons, and recover Hemant Philemon’s missing mobile phone.