New Delhi: The chilling 2010 murder of Manish Sahay, whose stripped body was found in the kitchen of a rented apartment in Ahmedabad, has finally been solved after 13 years. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch achieved a major breakthrough in the case with the arrest of the primary suspect, Rameshbhai Danabhai Desai, who confessed to the brutal murder, bringing to an end a long-standing mystery, Indian Express reported.
Desai was apprehended after a relentless investigation that involved tracing him across the country, from his initial escape to his life under a false identity in Rajasthan for eight years. The suspect, who had been living in Mumbai under an assumed name and working as a senior captain at a hotel in Kharghar, was ultimately tracked down and apprehended while travelling from Mumbai to Rajasthan.
During interrogation, Desai initially provided false information, but under intense scrutiny, he confessed to his true identity and revealed the horrifying details of the murder, the Crime Branch said in a statement.
He admitted to being in a same-sex relationship with the victim, Manish Sahay, which had led to arguments and ultimately a fatal altercation. Desai confessed to attacking Sahay with a brick, leading to his death. After the murder, he concealed Sahay’s body, stripped the victim, tied his hands and feet, and taped his mouth before fleeing the crime scene.
He then embarked on a journey of evasion, travelling to various locations, including Surendranagar and Dudhraj, before eventually settling in Mandla, where he lived under a fabricated identity for years. To further conceal his identity, he obtained new documents and even a life insurance policy, The Indian Express reported quoting the police officials.
The case, which had gone cold for nearly 13 years, was reopened recently, and the Ahmedabad Crime Branch painstakingly delved into old evidence and pursued every lead, eventually uncovering Desai’s true identity and his location. The investigation revealed that the deceased, initially identified as Manish Gupta, was actually Manish Sahay.
