Forest Officer's Chilling Confession: How He Killed His Family
In a shocking case that has stunned Gujarat, a senior forest officer has been formally arrested for the brutal murder of his wife and their two young children. The investigation into the discovery of three bodies from a pit in Bhavnagar's forest colony has unraveled a premeditated crime allegedly carried out by Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Shailesh Khambhla, who was taken into custody on Monday.
The Gruesome Discovery and Investigation
The horrifying crime came to light on November 16 when police exhumed the bodies of Khambhla's wife Nayana and their two children - 9-year-old Bhavya and 13-year-old Prutha. During interrogation, the 40-year-old officer confessed to smothering his wife after a heated argument on November 5, and subsequently killing their sleeping children by suffocating them with pillows.
According to Bhavnagar SP Nitesh Pandey, the Local Crime Branch team cracked the case through meticulous investigation. Inspector AR Vala and Sub-Inspector PD Zala analyzed CCTV footage, examined call detail records of both Nayana and Khambhla, and collected statements from his subordinates, neighbors, and family members.
Premeditated Murder Plan Uncovered
Investigators discovered that the murders were carefully planned. Evidence revealed that Khambhla had instructed forest department staff to dig two pits near his quarters on November 2, just a week after his wife and children had arrived from Surat for Diwali holidays. Range Forest Officer Girish Vaniya confirmed to police that Khambhla had ordered the pits dug under the pretext of water and garbage disposal.
Earth excavator operator Girish Baldaniya prepared the two pits on November 6, the same day Khambhla buried the bodies. After killing his wife, Khambhla became fearful of being exposed to his children and decided to murder them while they slept. He then buried all three bodies sequentially, covering the pit with stones, a mattress, and finally soil and rubble.
Failed Cover-Up Attempts
In a desperate attempt to mislead investigators, Khambhla typed a message from Nayana's phone to his own, attempting to simulate a suicide note. However, investigators noticed the writing style didn't match Nayana's usual texting patterns. Furthermore, the message never delivered because Khambhla failed to notice the phone was in airplane mode.
Security guards contradicted Khambhla's claim of seeing his family leave in an autorickshaw, and CCTV footage from the colony and bus station showed no evidence of their exit. Khambhla's call records also showed extensive communication with forest department staff around the time the pits were dug, further strengthening the case against him.
The investigation ultimately exposed Khambhla's lies about his family going missing, a complaint he had lodged at the Bharatnagar police station. The murders appear to have stemmed from ongoing quarrels between the couple over Nayana's insistence on living with him in Bhavnagar instead of Surat where she stayed with her parents.
