A family’s repeated attempts at getting the address of a relative ‘who had gone to Australia’ have ended with police unearthing his skeletal remains in Jamnagar in Gujarat. Investigators said the alleged murder had been concealed for more than two years.

The police exhumed the remains, believed to be those of Jignesh Mavadiya, on Thursday from a pit around 12 feet below the floor of a shed in the Dared GIDC industrial area here. They have arrested the man’s wife Prithvi alias Bhumiben, her alleged lover Nilesh Kachhatia, and their associate Balveer Verma on charges of murder and destruction of evidence among others.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Pratibha said power tools had to be used to drill through a nearly one-foot thick concrete layer covering the burial site.

“To ascertain the identity of the deceased, the remains have been handed over to forensic experts. The victim’s wife, her alleged lover, and one of their associates have been arrested,” she said.

Murder plot

According to the police, Jignesh, who had a love marriage and was the father of two daughters, had been out of contact with his family for nearly two years. His wife allegedly maintained that he had travelled to Australia for work and could not be contacted because his employer did not permit phone calls.

The alleged cover-up began to unravel when one of Jignesh’s cousins, who was planning to travel to Australia, asked Prithvi for his Australian address and contact details so that he could meet him there.

When she did not provide the information despite repeated requests, the family grew suspicious and warned her that they would approach the police, Ms. Pratibha said.

Jignesh’s brother Ashok Mavadiya subsequently lodged a complaint with the City ‘B’ Division police station on July 26, reporting him missing and expressing suspicion that his wife and her alleged lover were involved in his disappearance.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Prithvi, Nilesh Kachhatia, and Balveer Verma.

Wife’s confession

During questioning, Prithvi allegedly confessed that she, along with the two co-accused, had murdered Jignesh by mixing cyanide in his liquor, the police said.

Investigators alleged that on the night of May 31, 2024, the accused lured Jignesh to the industrial shed in the Dared GIDC area on the pretext of a liquor party. After he consumed the cyanide-laced liquor and then died, they allegedly dug a pit of about 12 feet, buried the body, covered it with soil, and sealed the spot with a concrete layer nearly one-foot thick.

The crime scene was reconstructed in the presence of the accused before the excavation was carried out, leading to the recovery of the skeletal remains believed to be those of Jignesh.

The remains have been sent for forensic examination to establish the identity of the deceased, while further investigation is underway to reconstruct the sequence of events and gather additional evidence, the police said.

Published - July 30, 2026 08:14 pm IST