A 2022 triple murder case in Gujarat’s Surat district has come under the spotlight after the Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested husband-wife duo Madhavdas Bhaktiram Sadhu and Urmila for the killing of three women from their extended family. The case emerged nearly four years after the alleged killings in Kosamba.
According to police, the investigation began after Madhavdas approached the Crime Branch with information about his grandmother-in-law, Shantaben Vasava's alleged murder. He was alleged to have accused his wife Urmila and her cousin of being behind the killing and said Shantaben's body had been buried in a house in Kosamba.
Investigators initially questioned the person named in the complaint. But police said they found no evidence connecting him to the alleged murder. The discrepancies in Madhavdas’s statements then shifted the investigation towards him.
In the course of the investigation, Madhavdas admitted to Shantaben’s death and also implicated his wife Urmila, the police said. Shantaben was allegedly killed in October 2022 while she was sleeping. Her body was stuffed in a drum and cement was poured into it, according to police. Months later, the remains were buried in a pit at the property.
Police and media reports also said human remains were retrieved from the Navapara area of Kosamba during the excavation. Forensic examination and other investigative procedures are now in progress to determine further details.
The investigation then uncovered two more deaths linked to the couple, they said.
One of the victims was Madhavdas’ mother Manjulaben Sadhu, a mother who had been paralyzed and had been bedridden because of her paralysis. Police say she was killed in July 2022 and her death was presented to relatives as a result of her illness. Her final rites were performed at a crematorium in Dholka.
The third alleged victim was Bharati, also known as Bhagwati, the sister of Urmila and Shantaben’s granddaughter. Police said she had been suffering from tuberculosis and lived with Shantaben in Kosamba. She was killed in February 2022 and the reason for her death was presented as a result of her illness.
VIDEO | Surat,Gujarat: The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested husband-wife duo Madhavdas Bhaktiram Sadhu and Urmila in connection with a 2022 triple murder case in Kosamba, where three members of their extended family were allegedly killed. Rajesh Gadhiya, SP, Surat, said the… pic.twitter.com/Hb1F7IYMDb
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 1, 2026
Police are also investigating the alleged motive behind the three deaths. Property, cash, and valuables may have played a role in some of the alleged killings, Crime Branch said.
The case has drawn attention because the alleged deaths happened in 2022 but were investigated again only when Madhavdas approached authorities years later. What was initially presented as information about one murder eventually led investigators to investigate three separate deaths within the same extended family.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch and local police are continuing the investigation and still looking for both physical and forensic evidence from the alleged burial site. The accused are in jail and legal proceedings are underway.
