Gujarat murder exposed: Affair, fake hit, and body in canal unravel Surendranagar conspiracy
Synopsis
What began as an unidentified body in a Surendranagar canal — logged as an accidental death — has cracked open into an alleged murder conspiracy involving a wife, her alleged lover, a botched paid hit, and a ₹25,000 fraud. The Ahmedabad Crime Branch's covert probe exposed how the absence of a missing person complaint nearly buried the case entirely.
Key Takeaways
Shantigiri Goswami of Soladi village, Surendranagar , was allegedly murdered in a planned conspiracy by his wife and her alleged associate.
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested Kantilal alias Bharatbhai Sabariya and Jagrutiben on 17 May .
An earlier alleged murder attempt, roughly one-and-a-half years prior, involved Yunus Memon of Deesa , who accepted ₹25,000 but did not carry out the act.
No missing person complaint was ever filed — a deliberate move, police allege, to keep the case undetected for months.
The body had been recovered from a canal in Surendranagar and was initially recorded as an accidental death before intelligence inputs triggered a deeper probe.
An accidental death case in Surendranagar district, Gujarat, has unravelled into an alleged murder conspiracy after the Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested two accused on 17 May following months of covert investigation. The victim, Shantigiri Goswami, a resident of Soladi village in Dhrangadhra taluka, had been reported neither missing nor murdered — a deliberate gap that allowed the case to go undetected for several months.
How the Case Came to Light
An unidentified body recovered from a canal area in Surendranagar was initially registered as an accidental death. The matter may have remained closed had the Crime Branch not received intelligence inputs flagging the suspicious circumstances surrounding Shantigiri Goswami's disappearance. Sustained human intelligence gathering and discreet field work, according to police, eventually connected what officials described as 'various hidden facts' that pointed to a planned killing.
Notably, no formal missing person complaint had been filed by the family — a detail investigators say was itself part of the effort to suppress the offence and create the impression that Shantigiri had voluntarily left home.
The Alleged Conspiracy: An Affair and a Failed Hit
According to police, Jagrutiben, wife of the deceased, had allegedly been in a prolonged relationship with co-accused Kantilal alias Bharatbhai Sabariya. Investigators claim that frequent domestic disputes and personal conflicts eventually culminated in a conspiracy to eliminate Shantigiri.
Crucially, this was allegedly not the first attempt on his life. Around one-and-a-half years before his death, Jagrutiben reportedly approached Yunus Memon, a resident of Deesa, and offered him money to carry out the murder. However, according to police, Yunus was acquainted with Shantigiri and chose instead to counsel and warn him rather than harm him.
In what officials described as a deceptive move, Yunus allegedly sent Jagrutiben a photograph of Shantigiri asleep, falsely claiming the job was done. He reportedly received ₹25,000 from her before the ruse unravelled when she realised her husband was still alive.
The Murder and Destruction of Evidence
Police allege that Kantilal subsequently played an active role in carrying out the murder and in destroying evidence. Jagrutiben, according to investigators, allegedly facilitated the conspiracy and helped conceal the offence. The accused are said to have worked to present Shantigiri's disappearance as voluntary, ensuring no formal complaint was ever filed.
Arrests and What Comes Next
The Crime Branch formally apprehended Kantilal alias Bharatbhai Sabariya and Jagrutiben on 17 May. Kantilal is being treated as the key participant in the murder and destruction of evidence; Jagrutiben faces charges of planning, facilitating, and concealing the offence. The role of Yunus Memon in the broader conspiracy remains a line of investigation, given his alleged receipt of ₹25,000 despite not completing the contracted act. Further legal proceedings are expected as the Crime Branch consolidates its case file.
Point of View
Whether by design or social inertia, is what allowed an alleged murder to sit undetected for months under an accidental death label. It raises a systemic question: how many similar cases in rural Gujarat and elsewhere remain closed because no one filed a complaint? The Crime Branch deserves credit for acting on intelligence inputs without a formal trigger, but the case also exposes how easily a planned killing can be camouflaged when the victim's own household controls the information flow to police.
NationPress
3 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Shantigiri Goswami and how was he killed?
Shantigiri Goswami was a resident of Soladi village in Dhrangadhra taluka, Surendranagar district, Gujarat. According to police, he was allegedly murdered in a conspiracy involving his wife Jagrutiben and her alleged associate Kantilal alias Bharatbhai Sabariya; his body was recovered from a canal area in Surendranagar and had initially been logged as an accidental death.
Who has been arrested in the Surendranagar murder case?
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested two accused — Kantilal alias Bharatbhai Sabariya, alleged to be the key participant in the murder and destruction of evidence, and Jagrutiben, the wife of the deceased, accused of planning, facilitating, and concealing the offence — on 17 May.
What was the earlier failed attempt to kill Shantigiri Goswami?
Approximately one-and-a-half years before his death, Jagrutiben allegedly approached Yunus Memon of Deesa and paid him to murder her husband. According to police, Yunus instead warned Shantigiri, then sent Jagrutiben a photo of him asleep claiming the job was done, and collected ₹25,000 before the deception was discovered.
Why did the case go undetected for so long?
No formal missing person complaint was ever filed, which police say was a deliberate move by the accused to create the impression that Shantigiri had voluntarily left home. This allowed the case to remain undetected for several months until Crime Branch intelligence inputs prompted a covert investigation.
What role did the Ahmedabad Crime Branch play in cracking the case?
The Crime Branch acted on intelligence inputs about Shantigiri's suspicious disappearance and conducted sustained human intelligence gathering and discreet field investigation. This led investigators to connect hidden facts, identify the body, and establish the alleged murder conspiracy behind what had been recorded as an accidental death.
