In the early morning of October 6, 2025, a sudden blaze broke out in a fourth-floor apartment in Delhi’s Gandhi Vihar, Timarpur. As firefighters battled the flames, neighbors watched in horror. When the fire was finally put out, police discovered a body—burned beyond recognition. The deceased was identified as Ram Kesh Meena, a 32-year-old UPSC aspirant.

At first, the scene looked like a common tragedy—possibly caused by a gas cylinder leak or a faulty air conditioner. Authorities treated it as a case of death due to negligent fire. But the more investigators examined the aftermath, the more questions began to surface. Something about the fire didn’t feel accidental. And within a matter of weeks, what was believed to be a tragic accident was revealed to be a chillingly planned murder, masked by a violent blaze.

From a Quick Love Story to Dangerous Blackmail

Ram Kesh Meena came to Delhi from Rajasthan, dreaming of clearing the civil services exam. In May 2025, he met Amrita Chauhan, a 21-year-old student, during a job interview at a Noida firm. Their meeting led to instant chemistry. After a few dates and frequent conversations, their bond grew strong. Within just a few months, by August, they decided to move in together and rented the very apartment that would soon become the scene of a brutal crime.

Their early days together were filled with intimacy and closeness. They even recorded private videos and photos—content they believed would stay between them. But by early September, cracks began to show in their relationship.

Amrita’s former boyfriend, 27-year-old Sumit Kashyap, reappeared. He was from Moradabad, just like Amrita. The two had once been a couple during their college years and were known for sharing their moments on social media. As Sumit’s presence grew, Amrita became active again on Instagram, creating upbeat reels while Ram Kesh buried himself in his UPSC preparations.

Feeling the emotional distance, Ram Kesh grew suspicious and insecure. In an effort to hold on to Amrita, he began sending her their intimate clips, hoping to remind her of their connection. But what began as an emotional plea soon turned into something darker.

According to the police, he started threatening her. He warned that if she left him, he would expose her private videos and ruin her reputation. When Amrita discovered that he had saved all their explicit content on a hard disk, she was furious and terrified. She begged him to delete the material, but he refused. Feeling violated and afraid, Amrita told police she felt “trapped and humiliated.”

With no one else to trust, Amrita turned to the person she once loved—Sumit. In private conversations, she told him everything—about the hard disk, the threats, and her fear that her private moments could be leaked online. Sumit, angry and protective, told her he would “teach him a lesson.”

They didn’t act alone. A third person, 29-year-old Sandeep Kumar, was pulled into the plan. Also from Moradabad and preparing for SSC exams, he agreed to help. What started off as a mission to recover the hard drive quietly took a dark turn. The three decided that Ram Kesh Meena needed to die to eliminate any chance of the videos surfacing.

A Well-Studied Plan to Kill and Cover Up

Amrita wasn’t just a student—she was pursuing a B.Sc. in Forensic Science, and she believed she could design a crime so perfect that police would never suspect foul play. Officers later shared that she was “fascinated by crime web series”, and had even shifted to computer science later on, showing a strategic mind.

Using her forensic knowledge, she laid out a plan to destroy evidence, confuse the crime scene, and leave no trace. Sumit, who worked at a cooking gas distribution company, added a crucial piece to the puzzle—his understanding of LPG cylinders. He knew how to stage a gas explosion that would look accidental and intense enough to mask the murder.

Together, the three spent days researching online. They watched YouTube tutorials, studied crime shows, and scanned social media to make sure they didn’t leave behind any clues. Every detail was thought through. Their initial plan was to stage a break-in and simply steal the hard disk from Ram Kesh’s flat. But soon, that seemed too risky. They realized that as long as Ram Kesh was alive, he could be a threat.

By early October, the final plan was locked in. They would kill him, then set the room on fire, making it appear as though he had died in a gas cylinder blast. On the night of October 4, 2025, Sumit and Sandeep left Moradabad for Delhi, prepared to carry out their plot.

The Final Hours – The Murder on October 5

The events of October 5, 2025, were chilling. Amrita was already at the flat with Ram Kesh, spending the evening as if it were just another day. Late into the night, Sumit and Sandeep arrived in Delhi, wearing masks to hide their identities. As caught later on CCTV cameras, they made their way into the building.

It is suspected that Amrita subdued Ram Kesh first, possibly by tying his hands and gagging him, under the pretense of a private moment. Once he was defenseless, Sumit and Sandeep entered the room.

The attack was violent. Ram Kesh was beaten and strangled. Investigators believe the attackers were trying to force him to reveal where he had hidden the hard disk, while he struggled helplessly. Despite being larger in build, he couldn’t fight back with his hands bound. Eventually, they choked him so forcefully that he passed out. He died from asphyxiation, long before the fire even started.

The crime had escalated beyond control. Now, a man was dead, and the trio had to make it look like a terrible accident. They rummaged through the flat, looking for every digital device that might contain the videos. They found two laptops, an external hard drive, and several of Ram Kesh’s personal items. These weren’t just valuable—they were the very reason for the murder. Leaving them behind was not an option.

They gathered the electronics, preparing to erase all traces of the crime they had just committed. But the worst was yet to come. What happened next would not only devastate a family but also expose a twisted web of betrayal, obsession, and calculated cruelty.

Staging a Fiery Cover-Up

With Ram Kesh Meena’s lifeless body lying in the flat, the trio moved quickly to transform the murder scene into what would appear as a deadly household accident. They were not just trying to escape justice—they were trying to erase every trace of the truth. The body was carefully positioned, and the surroundings were prepped to ensure the fire would be as destructive as possible. The goal was simple: make it look like an accident, make it convincing, and make sure no one ever found out what truly happened that night.

To make the fire strong and uncontrollable, they poured oil and ghee—items easily found in the kitchen—all over the body. Not stopping there, they used wine and spirits to further fuel the flames. These substances, highly flammable, would make sure the body burned completely. They even gathered books and papers from around the room and stacked them around Ram Kesh’s body. It was almost ritualistic, like they were building a pyre, ensuring the fire would consume everything—his body, the evidence, and any sign of foul play.

Then came the final step in their horrifying setup. Sumit brought in a gas cylinder from the kitchen. This wasn’t random—it was intentional and strategic. He placed it right beside Ram Kesh’s head. Knowing exactly how gas behaves in an enclosed space, he slightly opened the regulator valve, letting the gas leak slowly into the room. This wasn’t just about fire anymore. This was about an explosion, a big one. They wanted the blast to be powerful enough to destroy evidence and convince everyone that a terrible gas leak had taken a young man’s life.

Once they confirmed they had everything they came for—including the hard disk and both laptops—they knew it was time to end the scene. Around 2:30 to 2:45 AM on October 6, Sumit lit a match. One small flame, and everything they had prepared for erupted. The fire ignited rapidly, tearing through the small room, feeding on the ghee and alcohol. Flames spread across the walls, the bed, the books.

But the trio didn’t leave immediately. They took one more step to mislead anyone who came knocking. They latched the main iron gate from the inside, using a string or reaching through a gap. This made it look like no one had left the room. It was a smart trick—one that delayed suspicion and gave them more time to escape unnoticed.

At around 2:57 AM, Amrita and Sandeep were captured on CCTV walking away from the building, calm and collected. They met Sumit outside, all three still hiding their faces. With them were bags carrying the stolen electronics—items that held the truth about why they killed Ram Kesh.

Moments later, a loud explosion shook the area. The cylinder had detonated, blowing out windows, damaging the air conditioner panel, and pushing the fire into a full-blown inferno. Inside, everything burned—furniture, walls, papers—and Ram Kesh’s body was reduced to ashes.

People in nearby buildings, jolted awake by the blast, ran out. They saw smoke and fire pouring from the flat and called the fire brigade. By the time help arrived, the flames were already weakening. The trio, however, had vanished into the night.

The Investigation: Traces Hidden in Ashes and Cameras

When fire officials finally managed to put out the blaze, what they found was a shell of a room and a body that was nearly impossible to recognize. At first glance, the scene looked like a terrible accident—a gas leak, maybe, or a faulty air conditioner. The body was burned. The room was destroyed. Even the police initially treated it as death by negligence.

But something felt wrong. Within a day, investigators started to spot inconsistencies. The burn patterns, the smell of accelerants, and the way items were placed didn’t fit the profile of a typical fire. And the autopsy revealed something more chilling—marks of strangulation on the neck. That’s when the police decided to dig deeper. This wasn’t just a fire—it was possibly a cover-up for murder.

One big clue came from above—from a CCTV camera installed in the building. As police checked footage from the night of October 4–5, they noticed something suspicious. Around 2:15 AM, two masked men were seen entering the building quietly. Half an hour later, one man left alone. Then, just before 3 AM, the camera caught a woman and a man leaving together. The woman had her face partially covered, but the police recognized her: Amrita Chauhan.

This changed everything. The woman who should have been mourning her partner was caught leaving the building before the fire began. With this crucial footage in hand, the police upgraded the investigation from accidental fire to a full murder probe.

As one officer put it, “Things did not fall into place… the story did not add up.” Investigators quickly started tracking the suspects. They went through call detail records and checked mobile tower locations. Amrita’s phone location placed her right at the crime scene, just as the CCTV showed. Meanwhile, Ram Kesh’s relatives raised concerns, questioning how such a smart and focused young man could die in a gas blast so suddenly. Their doubts pushed investigators to go further.

When police entered the charred room again with forensic teams, they noticed important items were missing—especially electronics like a laptop and a hard drive. That alone suggested the fire wasn’t just an accident. It was staged to hide something. The missing gadgets, combined with surveillance footage, phone records, and forensic clues, began forming a clear picture: this was a deliberate and well-planned murder.

Manhunt and Breakthrough Arrests

With the new evidence pointing straight to Amrita, police tried to reach her—but her phone was switched off. When they visited her usual locations, she was gone. The officers now knew she was hiding, so they launched a manhunt.

After scanning through locations and gathering intelligence, the team found a lead. Amrita had fled to her hometown, Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. On October 18, 2025, nearly two weeks after the murder, police raided a house in Moradabad and found her hiding at a relative’s place.

Confronted with the truth, and shown the CCTV footage, Amrita confessed. She told police everything—how the plan started, who was involved, and named Sumit and Sandeep as her co-conspirators.

Armed with this confession, police shifted their focus to Sumit Kashyap. He was moving from place to place, but on October 21, they found and arrested him. Just two days later, on October 23, Sandeep Kumar was also picked up. In less than a month, the entire trio had been arrested.

During searches, officers recovered key evidence: Ram Kesh’s laptops, the missing hard disk, a trolley bag, burnt clothes, and two mobile phones used by the accused. These weren’t just random items—they were exactly what the killers had taken after the murder. Now, they were in the hands of the police.

When officers reviewed the contents of the hard disk, they found something deeply disturbing: private, explicit videos of not only Amrita but also of around 15 other women. These were not consensual recordings. They appeared to be taken without the knowledge or consent of the women.

This changed the narrative entirely. It wasn’t just about a jealous lover—it was about a man who had built a secret collection of voyeuristic content. This explained Amrita’s deep fear, her anger, and her desperation to get the hard disk back. Though no other women had yet filed complaints, police recognized the seriousness of the situation and began exploring more legal action related to these recordings.

By Indian law, recording or keeping someone’s private images without consent is a criminal offense. In repeat cases, it can lead to up to seven years of imprisonment. The case had just gone from murder to include crimes of digital privacy and exploitation.

Meanwhile, in custody, each of the accused tried to shift blame. Amrita pointed to Sumit. Sumit blamed Amrita. Both said they didn’t mean for the murder to happen. But their planning, timing, and execution all proved otherwise. Eventually, all three admitted their roles in the crime. They now face charges of murder, conspiracy, and destroying evidence with explosives.

Aftermath and Family Fallout

The case exploded in the media. In Delhi, in Moradabad, and across the country, people were stunned. It had everything: a forensic science student turned killer, a former lover as her partner in crime, and a victim whose past actions raised unsettling questions.

More details surfaced. It came to light that Amrita’s family had already disowned her. On July 8, 2024, her parents had published a public notice in the newspaper, declaring that due to her “inappropriate conduct,” she was no longer a part of their family. They had even removed her from any claim to their property. When asked by reporters about the case, her family refused to speak, simply stating that Amrita had been on her own for more than a year.

The Delhi Police, meanwhile, were both proud and shaken. One senior officer called it a “cold, calculated and sensational murder… made to look like a fire accident”, but credited the solving of the case to technical surveillance, CCTV, and fieldwork. The case has also raised big questions about privacy in relationships, and how personal moments, when mishandled or abused, can trigger terrifying consequences.

There may be more charges to come. Authorities are looking into Ram Kesh’s video collection to see if other women need to be warned or protected.

As for Amrita Chauhan, Sumit Kashyap, and Sandeep Kumar, their dream of carrying out a “perfect crime” was short-lived. Despite all their planning—using fire, gas, alcohol, and even forensic tricks—they forgot one thing: in today’s world, CCTV cameras and digital footprints never lie. Their secret, meant to vanish in smoke, was caught in frame.

Now, the three await trial. If convicted, they face life imprisonment, or even the death penalty, under India’s strict laws for premeditated murder.

This case stands as a haunting reminder: when trust turns to blackmail, and love turns to revenge, the fallout can be fatal. No plan is foolproof. And no crime, no matter how carefully plotted, stays hidden forever.