Woman Orchestrates Murder Over Hard Disk Containing Private Videos of Multiple Victims

Amrita Chauhan has been arrested for orchestrating the murder of 32-year-old Ram Kesh Meena, a civil services aspirant. Investigators have discovered that the hard disk at the center of this gruesome crime contains private images of at least 15 women, indicating that the victim had developed a habit of collecting such content—a practice that ultimately led to his demise.

The charred remains of Ram Kesh Meena were discovered on October 6 in a flat located in north Delhi's Timarpur area following a severe fire. As authorities began their investigation, they uncovered a disturbing conspiracy behind the incident.

Three weeks after Ram Kesh's death, law enforcement arrested his live-in partner Amrita Chauhan, her former boyfriend Sumit Kashyap, and their mutual acquaintance Sandeep Kumar for allegedly murdering him and setting the fire to disguise the crime as an accident.

According to Amrita's statement to police, she orchestrated Ram Kesh's murder because he had recorded intimate videos of her and stored them on a hard disk. Despite her repeated requests to delete this content, he refused to comply. Obtaining the hard disk was a primary motivation behind the crime. Investigators have now determined that the storage device contained private videos of numerous other women, apparently recorded without their knowledge or consent.

Ravindra Yadav, Special Commissioner of Police for Law and Order, informed NDTV that Amrita and Sumit planned Ram Kesh's murder out of fear that he might distribute her private videos online.

The investigation revealed that on the night of October 5, Sumit and Sandeep assaulted Ram Kesh and strangled him to death. They then poured oil, clarified butter, and wine on the body to accelerate the fire.

According to police, Sumit removed a gas cylinder from the kitchen and positioned it near Ram Kesh's head. He opened the valve, allowing gas to fill the room. The perpetrators had already taken Ram Kesh's two laptops, the hard disk, and other belongings.

After completing their preparations, Sumit ignited the fire with a lighter and locked the main door. The cylinder exploded after they had left the premises.

Special Commissioner Yadav stated that authorities initially suspected the fire resulted from a gas leak. "The front panel of the air conditioner was damaged, leading us to consider that the air conditioner might have exploded. However, upon discussing the case, the narrative seemed inconsistent. Details didn't align properly, which prompted us to conduct a comprehensive investigation," he explained.

Despite their meticulous planning, the perpetrators overlooked the presence of CCTV surveillance. While reviewing footage from the building, investigators observed something alarming. Two individuals with covered faces entered the building the night before the fire. Later, one person exited alone, followed by a man and woman leaving together. The woman was identified as Amrita, Ram Kesh's live-in partner.

Amrita's mobile phone was turned off following the incident. After conducting several raids, police apprehended her on October 18. During questioning, she identified her accomplices—her ex-boyfriend Sumit and friend Sandeep. Authorities arrested Sumit on October 21 and Sandeep on October 23.

Amrita revealed to investigators that Ram Kesh had stored her private videos on a hard disk and refused to delete them. When she shared this information with Sumit, he became enraged, and together they plotted Ram Kesh's murder.

At 21 years old, Amrita is studying forensics and has a strong interest in crime thrillers. When asked if she applied her forensic knowledge in attempting to conceal the crime, the senior police officer confirmed, "Absolutely, she also discussed with Sumit methods to ensure that no evidence would be discovered." Sumit, who worked in cooking gas cylinder distribution, knew the approximate time an LPG cylinder would take to explode. "They were confident that police would not trace the crime back to them."

When questioned whether such tactics could have successfully concealed the crime, the officer explained that an autopsy typically identifies the cause of death. "However, they can mislead the investigator, and if the doctor conducting the postmortem is told it was an accident, he might not perform a thorough examination, potentially allowing the killer to escape detection," he noted.

Investigators have discovered private images of at least 15 women on the hard disk obtained from Amrita. Regarding this finding, Yadav stated, "I would prefer not to comment on this matter as we haven't received additional complaints in this regard. We must also consider the potential stigma that could result from any disclosure."

Nevertheless, the officer confirmed that videos of at least 15 more women have been found on the hard disk and other devices belonging to Ram Kesh.

Recording private images of a woman without her knowledge constitutes a punishable offense under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and also violates the Information Technology Act and privacy laws.

Section 77 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which criminalizes voyeurism, clarifies that the law applies even if the victim consents to the recording but not to the sharing of such images with third parties.

Viewing, capturing, or distributing such images is punishable by a one-year imprisonment term upon first conviction. Subsequent convictions may result in imprisonment ranging from three to seven years.