Bhopal: When A Tattoo Led Cops To Solve Gruesome Murder Mystery

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A faded tattoo bearing the name ‘Deepali’ on a decomposed corpse became the first and only clue in a chilling murder case that left Bagsewania police baffled—until it cracked wide open, revealing a tale of betrayal, rage, and calculated killing inside a seemingly ordinary household.

On July 30, 2023, a decomposed body wrapped tightly in a blanket was found in a drain behind Meenakshi Planet in the Bagmugaliya area. The stench had grown unbearable. As officers unwrapped the layers, they found the tattoo ‘Deepali’ inked across the chest, flanked by a snake and a sun symbol. That was all they had.

With the body far too decayed for facial recognition, police filed a murder case against unknown people and began an intense hunt. Posters were printed, photos were distributed to media and digital clues were scoured and then came the breakthrough after a month.

A local informant tipped off the police about a woman named Deepali living in Om Nagar, Bagh Sewania, whose husband had been missing for over a month. Her name matched the tattoo. It was a thin lead—but cops decided to work upon it.

When police reached House No 58 in Om Nagar, neighbours confirmed the woman’s husband, Vijay Pal, hadn’t been seen since a heated altercation with his stepson a month and a half earlier. Under questioning, Deepali (58) cracked—confessing to a murder that had been weighing on her conscience for weeks.

From marriage to murder

Deepali revealed that her first husband had died in 2009. After working for a few years in Delhi, she married Vijay Pal in 2014. They later moved to Bhopal due to health issues. But, a small incident lit the fuse of something far darker.

That day, her grandson Vikram was taking nine workers to a construction site in Chennai. Vijay went along to see them off. At the station, he asked Vikram for his phone to make a call—but the train left before he could return it. The phone held Vikram’s e-tickets and Rs 2,000 in cash in the phone cover.

When Vikram got caught traveling without a ticket, a storm of blame erupted back home.

A murder in the house and the cover up

The argument escalated quickly. Deepali’s son Tapas (41) began fighting with Vijay. When Vijay started hurling abuses and turned physical, Tapas slapped him. Others in the house—Deepali, her underage grandson, and family friend Raju Bhokare (55)—tried to intervene. But instead of calming down, the fight turned deadly.

In a horrifying chain of events, Tapas and the minor held Vijay’s hands, Raju pinned his legs—and Deepali climbed on top of her husband and strangled him with her bare hands. Within minutes, Vijay stopped moving.

They bound Vijay’s hands and feet with rope, rolled his body in a blanket, and under the cover of night, carried it to the drain near Meenakshi Planet, dumping it like trash—hoping nature would take care of the rest. However the tattoo exposed the brutal murder.

Case closed

Deputy Commissioner of Police Shraddha Tiwari and ACP Rajneesh Kashyap led the investigation using forensic evidence, informant intelligence, and sheer persistence. A murder born of ego and anger had been hidden for over a month. But in the end, ink on skin told the tale.