Bhopal double murder: Two brothers arrested in retired couple killing over property
Synopsis
A forged gift deed, a digital payment trail at a liquor shop, and 1,500 CCTV frames — Bhopal police cracked the murder of a retired couple by tracing two property-dealer brothers who allegedly killed them to seize their home. The weapon is still missing, a sister-in-law is under suspicion, and a tenant couple vanished four days before the killings.
Key Takeaways
Shrikant and Shashikant , two brothers working as property dealers, were arrested nearly 20 days after the murders of Hemant Philemon and Shakuntala Philemon in Bhopal .
The couple was shot dead at approximately 9:30 pm on 24 June 2025 ; their bodies were discovered on 26 June after neighbours detected a foul smell.
Police allege the motive was to seize the couple's property through a forged gift deed executed without the victims' knowledge.
A digital payment trace at a nearby liquor shop was a key breakthrough; police scanned over 1,500 CCTV footages .
The murder weapon has not yet been recovered; it was allegedly sourced from a person in Agar Malwa , who is also under investigation.
Shibani , the sister-in-law of the deceased, is suspected of involvement; a tenant couple who went missing four days before the murders remains a key lead.
Bhopal police have arrested two brothers — Shrikant and Shashikant — in connection with the double murder of a retired couple, Hemant Philemon and his wife Shakuntala Philemon, whose bodies were discovered at their home in Sudama Nagar Colony, Ashoka Garden, Bhopal, on 26 June 2025. The arrests, made nearly 20 days after the crime, have exposed an alleged conspiracy to seize the couple's property worth crores of rupees through a forged gift deed.
How the Crime Unfolded
The couple was shot dead at approximately 9:30 pm on 24 June 2025 inside their residence. Their bodies were found two days later, on 26 June, after neighbours and a tenant detected a foul smell emanating from the house. The victims were found in a mutilated condition. Three used cartridges were recovered from the scene, along with a country-made firearm found inside the house.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to investigate the case. Police scanned at least 1,500 CCTV footages to identify the brothers as prime suspects from among at least 50 others. Earlier, police had released CCTV footage showing the suspects wearing raincoats and gloves. A ₹50,000 reward had also been announced to aid the investigation.
The Property Conspiracy
According to police, the murders were orchestrated to unlawfully seize the couple's valuable property. Shrikant had previously assisted Shibani — Shakuntala Philemon's sister-in-law — in selling a property, and was subsequently introduced to Hemant Philemon for another deal. Investigators say a forged gift deed was executed without the knowledge of the couple or their family, allegedly as part of a broader plan to transfer ownership of the property.
Police have not yet verified the signatures on the gift deed. Authorities suspect Shibani may also be involved in the conspiracy, and the investigation is ongoing.
Key Evidence and Digital Trail
A critical breakthrough came through a digital payment made by one of the suspects while purchasing liquor at a shop near the crime scene, which helped investigators identify him. Police have also seized several mobile phones for data analysis.
The firearm used in the murders has not yet been recovered. Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said the weapon was allegedly acquired from a person in Agar Malwa, who is also under investigation. A joint team from three police stations has been searching for the weapon with the assistance of the arrested brothers, and police have indicated they have information about its likely location.
Missing Tenant Couple and Further Leads
Notably, a tenant couple who had been living in the victims' house went missing four days before the murders — a lead that police are actively pursuing. Commissioner Kumar also stated that investigators are examining why the victims were keeping a firearm hidden and what threat, if any, the couple may have been facing prior to their deaths.
With the weapon still unrecovered and the signatures on the gift deed unverified, the investigation is expected to widen as police pursue multiple remaining threads in what has emerged as a meticulously planned crime.
Point of View
A pattern increasingly visible in urban India where real estate values have surged and document forgery remains easy to execute. The forged gift deed angle points to systemic vulnerabilities in property registration that go well beyond this case. That a digital payment at a liquor shop — not conventional policing — cracked the case raises questions about investigative capacity; the SIT's 1,500-CCTV sweep took nearly three weeks to yield arrests. With the murder weapon still missing, a sister-in-law under suspicion, and a tenant couple unaccounted for, this investigation is far from closed — and the full network behind it may be larger than what has surfaced so far.
NationPress
15 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the victims in the Bhopal double murder case?
The victims are Hemant Philemon and his wife Shakuntala Philemon , a retired couple who lived in Sudama Nagar Colony, Ashoka Garden, Bhopal . They were shot dead on the night of 24 June 2025 and their bodies were discovered on 26 June .
Who has been arrested in the Bhopal retired couple murder case?
Two brothers, Shrikant and Shashikant , both property dealers, have been arrested as the prime accused. They were arrested nearly 20 days after the murders were committed.
What was the motive behind the Bhopal double murder?
According to police, the murders were allegedly orchestrated to seize the couple's valuable property through a forged gift deed executed without the victims' or their family's knowledge. The property is reportedly worth crores of rupees.
Has the murder weapon been recovered?
No. As of the latest update, the firearm used in the murders has not been recovered. Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said the weapon was allegedly sourced from a person in Agar Malwa , who is also under investigation. A joint team is actively searching for it.
Who else is under suspicion in the case?
Police suspect the involvement of Shibani , the sister-in-law of victim Shakuntala Philemon , in the conspiracy. A tenant couple who lived in the victims' house and went missing four days before the murders is also being investigated.
