How flies led police to crack murder mystery in Jabalpur

Persistent flies have helped police crack a murder case in Madhya Pradesh. In a strange turn of events, flies led police to the 19-year-old who murdered his uncle in a fit of rage.
According to Times of India, the body of a man was found in a field in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh on the morning of October 31. The man was identified as Manoj Thakur, a 26-year-old who had been reported missing a day earlier.
Manoj was last seen on October 30, when he bought alcohol from a shop and shared a meal with his nephew, Dharam Singh. Dharam was the last person to see Manoj alive. When the 26-year-old did not return home, his family members went looking for him and eventually approached the police for help.
Manoj Thakur’s body was found lying in a field the next morning. Since his nephew Dharam was the last person to see him alive, police questioned him extensively. However, he was not apprehended for lack of direct evidence and motive.
Jabalpur police questioned dozens of people while investigating the murder but kept hitting a stone wall. There was no robbery, as nothing was missing. Nobody seemed to have a grudge against the victim and there was no evidence of a monetary dispute either.
“The nephew was a prime suspect in Manoj Thakur’s murder but during interrogation, he maintained his innocence,” said additional SP Sonali Dubey.
After interviewing dozens of witnesses, friends and family members, police officers decided to start with a clean slate and go back to the last person to see Manoj alive – his nephew.
Dharam had cooperated with the investigation so far. During the second interview, too, he appeared calm. However, cops noticed that flies seemed overly drawn towards him.
Throughout the interview, he kept swatting away flies – and they kept returning.
Abhishek Payasi, the officer in charge of Chargawan police station, grew suspicious when he noticed this. Eventually, Dharam was asked to take off his shirt and hand it over to the police, which then sent it for forensic examination.
The forensic analysis revealed human blood on the shirt that was invisible to the naked eye. During cross examination, the 19-year-old admitted to killing his uncle in a fit of rage.
Dharam revealed that he and Manoj were both intoxicated when they began to argue over money. Manoj said that his nephew had not paid his fair share for the alcohol and food they shared, leading to a violent confrontation. Dharam also claimed that his uncle hit him, and he retaliated by hitting him back with a log of wood.
The 19-year-old has been arrested for murder.