Bihar man watched Drishyam, travelled 2,000 km to kill father. One call exposed him

A man watched Bollywood crime thriller Drishyam, travelled nearly 2,000 kilometres from Surat to his home in Bihar's Samastipur, switched off his mobile phone and hacked his sleeping father to death with an axe. He then began his journey back to Surat, believing he had covered his tracks. But one phone call to his wife exposed his carefully planned crime.

The murder took place late on the night of July 26 in Darwa village in Samastipur district. The victim, Raghuveer Sahni, 50, was sleeping outside his house when his 26-year-old son, Shiv Shankar, allegedly attacked him repeatedly with an axe and fled, police said on Sunday.

Police said Shiv Shankar, who had a strained relationship with his father, travelled from Surat, where he lived and worked, to Samastipur after planning the murder. Shiv Shankar had also argued with Raghuveer over a land dispute several times and this may have triggered him to hatch a plan and kill his father.

Shiv Shankar was subsequently traced to Surat after switching on his phone and contacting his wife, which provided a crucial clue for the police to lay a trap and arrest him.

The Ajay Devgn-starrer Drishyam is a remake of the namesake Malayalam movie. It follows Vijay Salgaonkar, played by Devgn, who tries to protect his family after a killing by creating a detailed alibi and manipulating the timeline of events.

He makes his family appear to have been elsewhere when the crime occurred and uses seemingly ordinary details to mislead investigators. The film centres on his attempt to stay ahead of the police by carefully constructing a false narrative.

In this case, police said Shiv Shankar drew inspiration from the film while planning his father's murder, particularly its emphasis on creating a misleading timeline and avoiding a digital trail.FROM SURAT TO SAMASTIPUR

According to police, Shiv Shankar was at odds with his father, who allegedly abused him and his wife. The father-son duo had also quarrelled over the sale of family land.

Shiv Shankar had moved to Surat with his wife for work. Police said he watched Drishyam there before deciding to return to his village and kill his father.

Before starting his journey, he switched off his mobile phone.

During questioning, police learnt that he first reached Patna and then travelled to Hajipur. From there, he boarded a train and got off at Patori station in the evening. He took an autorickshaw and then walked around four kilometres to his village. He reached home around midnight and entered through the back door.

Police said he picked up an axe kept inside the house and allegedly attacked his father, who was sleeping at the entrance. Raghuveer died from his injuries. Shiv Shankar then left the axe behind and returned towards Patori railway station.THE MISTAKE THAT EXPOSED SHIV SHANKAR

According to Patori DSP BK Meghavi, Shiv Shankar's plan began to unravel at the railway station.

After keeping his phone switched off during the journey, he turned it on at Patori and called his wife. He then switched it off again. That brief activity gave investigators a crucial lead.

Police had already become suspicious because Shiv Shankar did not attend his father's funeral. Technical surveillance showed that his mobile phone was located around Patori station on the day of the murder and appeared in Surat about 36 hours later.

Investigators also examined his call records and found the conversation with his wife from Patori.

The police then traced Shiv Shankar to Surat and arrested him in connection with the murder.

Meanwhile, a forensic science laboratory team examined the crime scene after the killing. Investigators also sent Raghuveer's body for post-mortem examination and collected evidence from the house.

Police said the forensic investigation indicated that the killer was likely someone known to the victim, helping investigators narrow their focus.

During questioning, Shiv Shankar allegedly admitted that he had planned the murder after watching Drishyam. He was subsequently sent to jail, police further said.- Ends(with inputs from Jahangir Alam)