[man 1 narrating] From the year 1991 to 1993…
the Bangalore police did not investigate this case responsibly.
They sent a few policemen
to interrogate Shraddhananda.
He told them that…
Shakereh Khaleeli was in the USA and would not return anytime soon.
The Bangalore police could not do anything for three years.
But after three years…
this case was handed over to the Crime Branch.
[man narrating] It's not the question of fear, sir.
Once you're in the police force, you gain courage.
We used to identify and keep the criminals in check before the crime took place.
No crime would take place under my watch.
My name is Azmatullah B.
B means Badari.
We have come from a place called Badari.
Assalamu alaikum, Abbuji.
Walaikum assalam.
[Azmatullah] I was posted at CCB by my senior Mr. Kodandaramaiah.
This case was reported in 1991.
A complaint about a missing woman was filed at the Ashok Nagar Police Station.
Somewhere in 1994, Mr. Kodandaramaiah
asked me to make a good, straightforward, strong case.
Genuine. It should be a genuine case.
[Azmatullah] That office had the best staff and extremely courageous inspectors.
They arrested several culprits every day.
They worked on eight to ten people every day.
By work, I mean questioning.
We inquired, but there was no result.
We already were on a missing woman case.
We had a complaint against Swami Shraddhananda,
as we had our doubts on him.
And later we found out about him,
and had our informant…
give us details, and we got the lead.
[interviewer] How did you get it out of him?
By getting him drunk?
-[female reporter] Tell us your name? -Raju.
In this case, we have given money and paid for liquor.
They are like daily wage laborers.
We have to pay money also.
That day in the afternoon,
Swamiji called me up and asked me to bring the box.
I took four guys along with me…
and brought it here from the guest house.
Hmm. I brought the box.
He then handed me a 100 rupee note for everyone.
He gave that for all of us.
After that…
my madam…
my madam--
She was fast asleep.
I've been reduced to this condition
because of my madam.
Because of drinking…
He had got an anticipatory bail, so we couldn't just catch him.
And if we got him to the station…
he could file a case against us.
[Azmatullah] Earlier, during the questioning,
uh… we got to know that…
after their marriage, he got a will made…
and secondly a power of attorney.
So he could buy, sell her property.
One day I came in the evening, around 6:00 p. m.
I said,
call the maid servant Josephine.
She came,
and I questioned her
about the habits of Shraddhananda.
Where would he go in the morning?
In the afternoon?
In the evening?
Where would he have his meals?
I asked her everything.
[Josephine] My husband Raju and I
worked at 81 Richmond Road house.
We took care of the cooking and cleaning there.
Like always, we were busy with our work on that day too.
But, that day, only Swamiji came out of the bedroom.
Before I started with my work, I noticed that
due to rain the backyard soil had become damp and wet.
There were mud puddles everywhere.
Before 28th May, the backyard had a lot of Tulsi plants.
Swamiji wanted to make an underground tank there.
But, that day there was only one Tulsi plant there.
Swamiji asked me to nourish it well.
And I obliged.
While she was talking, she one day told me that,
on the day of Eid
he performed a prayer.
And later, he would pour milk over the Tulsi plant.
Suddenly, something flashed my mind.
Back in our village, where I hail from,
the Brahmin priests cremate their dead.
And after that they plant a Tulsi sapling in that same spot.
And then they pour milk on it.
I realized that he too is a Brahmin
and maybe that's why he is pouring milk on the plant.
So that created the first doubt in my mind.
The second doubt was the power of attorney.
Both of these doubts put me in a position to think
and I decided we will get him and interrogate him.
I was also scared because,
I am not someone who would arrest anyone without any proof and spoil their life.
Till the end I was scared. What if I was making a mistake?
I was scared that an innocent person would go to jail because of me.
After much deliberation, one night at 2:00 a. m. we decided to interrogate him.
We left to get him.
At 2:00 a. m. we knocked at his door.
He opened the door and we went inside.
We got him to the station.
Jai hind, sir.
"I don't know where she is. " He kept on saying that.
Till the time I got the case he kept on lying like this.
By the time he came to the station, it was almost 4:00 a. m.
I was sitting like this and he was sitting on the opposite side.
I sent my driver to get coffee.
I served coffee to him, myself and the staff.
After having coffee I told him,
"Look Shraddhananda even I have a family.
I do not need to trouble anyone unnecessarily.
I do not involve anyone unnecessarily.
If there is something, tell me.
Tell me clearly, what is the matter?"
As soon as I said this he became emotional.
He was fed up of all the harassment.
He suddenly fell at my feet.
He was seeking pity and started crying.
I asked him to get up and sit.
He started telling me his story.
The real story.
[Shraddhananda] My name is Swami Shraddhananda.
Shakereh used to treat me like a servant.
Everyday she used to find a reason to fight with me.
She did not love me anymore. She hated me.
Even though I had sacrificed so much for her.
[Shraddhananda] "I've made a huge mistake
by trusting you. "
She said this and yelled at me.
I could not sleep all night. Her words were ringing in my ears.
I thought that if I did nothing even then,
I would be thrown out of our house on the street.
[Shraddhananda] In the first week of May 1991 I went to the wooden market…
and got a plywood box made from there.
I decided that…
I will kill her.
[Azmatullah] Shraddhananda said that if we took him,
he can show us the place and the body!
He said if you take me…
I will show you the place and the body.
[Azmatullah] We got him home.
I held him on one side and gave him the keys.
They took him inside…
and took him to the place of crime.
[Shraddhananda] On 28th May 1991…
around 8:00 a. m. in the morning, our cook Josephine brought tea.
I thought this was a perfect opportunity.
I quietly took…
the sleeping tablets and stirred them into her tea.
Shakereh was awake.
I handed her the cup with a smile.
Around 9:30 a. m. I told my staff that Shakereh was unwell.
A while little later I went to the Taj for lunch.
We asked him to show us. So he took the chalk and marked
he marked the entire area.
He was just standing there on the side. He had become mild.
[Shraddhananda] In the afternoon around 3:30 p. m. , I came back home.
I saw that Shakereh was still sleeping.
She didn't wake up.
I asked Raju to shift the plywood box from the guestroom
to the bedroom.
[Shraddhananda] After that, I locked the door from the inside.
It was diagonal.
You can see it in the CD.
It was diagonal.
CENTRAL JAIL, SAGAR
My name is Swami Shraddhananda.
I am also known as Murli Manohar Mishra, which is my original name.
I want to tell you that
whatever has been spoken about me
is a lie.
It is all just a white lie and nothing else.