Nagpur: A chilling murder that remained buried, both literally and figuratively, for nearly eight months has finally come to light in Ramtek after an anonymous tip-off set the police on the trail of a crime that had gone completely unnoticed.
The victim, Pratap Singh Bais (50), a cook originally from Vile Parle in Mumbai, was allegedly strangled to death in July last year and secretly buried in a field near a dhaba on the Ramtek–Tumsar Road. The crime remained hidden for months as Bais had severed ties with his family long ago and no missing complaint was ever filed.
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Mar 10, 2026 - Time 11.45Hrs
The shocking case surfaced on March 9 after Harssh Poddar, Superintendent of Police of Nagpur Rural Police, received an anonymous tip suggesting that a body had been buried near a well-known roadside dhaba close to Khindsi. Acting swiftly, Poddar directed the Local Crime Branch to launch a discreet investigation.
“The murder remained under wraps for eight months because there was no missing person report, no accidental death entry, and absolutely no clue suggesting a crime had occurred,” Poddar said.
Investigators began their probe from scratch based solely on the vague information provided by the caller. “The informer himself did not know where the victim was buried or how the murder happened. All he knew was that something had occurred at a popular dhaba near Khindsi,” the SP added.
Following weeks of meticulous groundwork, police pieced together the puzzle and detained several individuals connected with the dhaba. Five suspects, including the dhaba owner and his son, were eventually taken into custody. During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to the crime, leading police to the burial site where the victim’s decomposed remains were exhumed on Monday.
The dhaba where Bais worked was owned by Kailash Thakre (53). According to police, Bais had been employed there as a cook for several years but was known for his alcohol addiction and frequent quarrels.
Investigators revealed that on July 20, 2025, Bais allegedly stole a mobile phone from the dhaba. Six days later, the owner’s son, Piyush Thakre (23), confronted him about the theft. During the confrontation, Bais, reportedly intoxicated, admitted to stealing the phone and allegedly mocked Piyush over unpaid wages.
Enraged by the provocation, Piyush allegedly strangled Bais to death around 11pm.
Panic-stricken after the killing, Piyush, along with his father Kailash and three dhaba employees, Shivram Markam (50), Dharmaraj Barthi (45), and Dhiraj Wankhede (37), allegedly transported the body and buried it on Thakre’s farmland in Navargaon in a desperate attempt to erase all traces of the crime.
The truth began to unravel after police first detained the three employees and interrogated them intensively. Their statements eventually revealed the location where the body had been buried, leading investigators to the field where the skeletal remains were recovered.
A police team, accompanied by the local Tehsildar, carried out a panchnama at the site before exhuming the badly decomposed body. Initially registered as an accidental death, the case was later converted into a murder at Ramtek Police Station.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that Bais had died due to strangulation.
All five accused have been arrested and booked under Sections 103(1) (murder), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. They are currently in police custody as investigators continue to piece together the full sequence of events surrounding the chilling crime.
