Producer Was Murdered By Actress For His BMW, Body Chopped Into Pieces

Bollywood's darkest thrillers have nothing on this real-life horror from 2012. Aspiring film producer Karan Kakkad thought he was walking into a meeting that could open the doors to the industry.

Instead, investigators said, the 28-year-old Delhi businessman entered a death room and was offered one final choice: feel the blade cut his throat while wide awake, or swallow 14 sleeping pills before his killers struck.

Karan chose the pills.

Police said he was robbed, drugged and killed inside a rented Mumbai flat. His body was hacked into pieces, loaded into his own BMW and driven to the desolate bends of Kumbharli Ghat, where his remains were dumped.

At the centre of the alleged conspiracy were gangster Vijay Palande, his associate Dhananjay Shinde and aspiring actress-model Simran Sood. Palande was accused of masterminding the murder. Simran, investigators alleged, was the bait who befriended Karan and won his trust.

Karan Came To Mumbai With A Dream

Before moving to Mumbai, Karan ran a successful event management company in Delhi. But his larger ambition was to enter Bollywood as a producer.

His family backed the dream. Karan rented an apartment at Oberoi Springs in Andheri, began meeting people from film circles and bought a second-hand BMW to match his new surroundings.

"Karan wanted to match the lifestyle of the people he was interacting with. We spent quite a lot on him, getting him a rented apartment at Oberoi Spring and also helping him buy a second-hand BMW," his brother Hanish told The Telegraph after his death.

The apartment and car were meant to mark Karan's arrival in Mumbai. Investigators later believed they also marked him as a target.

The Woman Who Offered Him A Way Into Bollywood

According to investigators quoted by The Telegraph, Simran learned that Karan was financially comfortable and interested in investing in films.

She allegedly grew close to him and promised to introduce him to people who could help him find projects. She appeared to offer precisely what he wanted: a way into Bollywood.

Karan was eventually called for what he believed was a professional meeting. Police said he was instead taken to a rented flat where Palande and his associates were waiting.

There was no film project. There was only a trap.

Once Karan was inside, he was allegedly overpowered and held captive. Investigators said the accused took his bank cards and withdrew money from his accounts. They also allegedly used his credit cards for a shopping spree.

After draining his finances, police said, the men decided Karan could not be allowed to leave alive.

Fourteen Pills And A Blade

The most horrifying account of Karan's final moments allegedly came from Palande himself.

According to Dainik Bhaskar, police said Palande told investigators that Karan was offered two ways to die. He could have his throat slit while conscious, or swallow sleeping pills first.

Karan allegedly chose the second option.

Police said he was made to swallow 14 sleeping tablets. Once the drugs took effect, his throat was slit inside the bathroom.

His killers then allegedly cut his body into pieces and placed the remains inside his BMW. The car his family had bought to help him build a new life became the vehicle used to carry his body out of Mumbai.

The accused drove to Kumbharli Ghat, a remote mountain pass surrounded by thick vegetation, and dumped the remains there.

His Brother Followed The Trail

When Karan disappeared, his brother Hanish travelled to Mumbai and began searching for him.

He obtained CCTV footage from a mall in Malad that allegedly showed Palande and Dhananjay Shinde using Karan's ATM card. Hanish submitted it to the Amboli police and urged officers to question Palande.

He stayed in Karan's apartment for nearly 20 days, waiting for news. With little apparent progress in the investigation, he eventually returned to Delhi.

The breakthrough came only after another murder.

Palande and his associates were arrested in connection with the killing of Delhi businessman Arun Tikku. When Hanish saw Palande on television, he immediately returned to Mumbai and approached the Crime Branch.

Karan's disappearance no longer appeared to be an isolated missing-person case.

Based on Palande's alleged disclosure, search teams travelled to Kumbharli Ghat and recovered skeletal remains. DNA analysis later confirmed they belonged to Karan.

Investigators also recovered Karan's silver bracelet and Samsung Galaxy Tab, along with a bloodstained chopper and a sickle. Officers examined transactions made using his debit and credit cards, believing the trail of spending could help reconstruct the crime.

Police Officers Also Came Under Scrutiny

The investigation later widened to examine whether two Mumbai Police personnel had indirectly helped Palande.

Constable Amol Deshpande allegedly signed as a witness on the rental agreement used by Palande and Simran to obtain a flat at Oberoi Springs, despite the pair allegedly using false identities.

Investigators also examined the role of Inspector Sanjay Shinde, a relative of Palande. He was accused of asking officers not to trouble Palande even after Karan's family identified him as a suspect. A Mahindra Xylo linked to the inspector had also allegedly been used by Palande.

A Family's Fight Did Not End

Even after DNA tests identified Karan's remains, his family struggled to obtain his death certificate. Without it, they could not access the money left in his bank account.

"My financial condition has become weak after my brother's death. There is still some money in my brother's account, but the bank will not process it till I get my brother's death certificate," Hanish said.

He repeatedly travelled to Mumbai with his ageing mother, each visit forcing her to relive the murder.

"I do not know how many people understand the trauma my mother undergoes. Every time she comes to Mumbai, she becomes inconsolable," he said.

Vijay Palande remains behind bars in connection with the murders of Karan Kakkad and Arun Tikku. His associates Dhananjay Shinde and Manoj Gajkosh were also jailed in the case. Simran Sood, who denied the allegations against her, was released after spending three years in prison.

More than a decade later, Karan's killing remains one of Mumbai's most disturbing crimes.

Source: NDTV Trending