Nearly five years after one of Ratlam's most chilling crimes, a sessions court has sentenced three men to triple life imprisonment for the murder of an entire family on the night of Chhoti Diwali. The mastermind behind the killings, however, never made it to trial — he was shot dead in a police encounter just days after the crime.

On the night of November 25, 2020, Govind Solanki, his wife Sharda, and their daughter Divya were shot dead inside their home in the Rajiv Nagar area of Ratlam. All three were shot in the head. The crime went undetected through the night. It was only the next morning that a tenant nurse named Jvelika, living on the ground floor, noticed her Activa scooter was missing. When she went upstairs to ask the landlord about it, she found three bodies on the floor, blood still pooling around them.

Police combed through CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding routes. The footage led them to Noori Guest House in Indra Nagar, where one of the accused — Anurag alias Bobby — was eventually traced. Under questioning, he named the others: Dilip Deval, Lala Bhabor, and Golu Bilwal. The latter two were arrested soon after. Dilip Deval, the mastermind, fired at the police team sent to apprehend him and was killed in the retaliatory action on December 4, 2020. A pistol, live cartridges, and looted jewellery were recovered from his rented house.

The case that went to trial rested heavily on forensic evidence. Additional Public Prosecutor Samarth Patidar said 111 material exhibits, 210 documents, and 33 witnesses were placed before the court. DNA from the victims was found on the clothes and footwear of the accused. The scooter used to flee the scene carried Lala's DNA on the handlebars. Ballistic analysis confirmed that the bullets were fired from the pistol recovered from Dilip Deval's house.

Additional Sessions Judge Rajesh Namdev convicted Anurag alias Bobby (33), Golu alias Gaurav (29), and Lala Bhabor (27) on charges of murder and robbery, sentencing each to triple life imprisonment along with a fine.

Dilip Deval was no ordinary criminal. He was a fugitive from Gujarat's Dahod jail, where he had been imprisoned for murder, and had absconded on parole, living in Ratlam under false identity documents. Investigators found he had deliberately chosen the night of Chhoti Diwali so that gunshots would be drowned out by the noise of firecrackers. A separate killing in Ratlam's Kasturba Nagar on May 18, 2020 was also linked to him and his associates.

After the encounter, then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had called Deval a "narpishach" — a human demon — saying such people had no right to live in society. All three surviving accused have been in custody since December 2, 2020.

CID Unearthed ₹2.5 Crore Fraud in PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

Organized racket used forged death certificates and mule accounts to siphon insurance payouts across Gwalior, Morena, and Ratlam.

 The state’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) has registered two cases involving a sophisticated ₹2.5 crore fraud linked to the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY). Officials confirmed on Thursday that the investigation into the organized racket, which spanned across districts including Gwalior, Morena, and Ratlam, reveals a deeply systematic approach to insurance siphoning.

Systemic Exploitation of Policies

Preliminary findings indicate that the gang functioned by procuring a massive volume of insurance policies through a network of dubious bank accounts. In many instances, policies were issued in the names of individuals completely unaware that their identity had been compromised. The scheme often involved securing multiple policies for the same person or family members from different insurance providers to maximize the illicit gains.

Forged Documents and Payouts

The core of the operation relied on obtaining forged death certificates from local municipal bodies. Within a window as short as one month to a year after purchasing the policies, the suspects would falsely declare the insured individuals as deceased. Based on these fabricated records, the gang successfully processed and received insurance claims. Investigators have noted that in several cases, people were marked dead while they were very much alive.timesofindia.

Tracing the Financial Trail

Authorities found that the money was routed through a complex web of "mule accounts" to avoid immediate detection. Once the insurance payouts hit these accounts, the funds were quickly withdrawn from ATMs located in various cities, including Ratlam and even outside the state in Rajasthan, such as Sawai Madhopur and Ganganagar. The CID has now moved to identify these beneficiaries and freeze the suspicious bank accounts associated with the scam.

Expanding Scope of Investigation

Special Director General (CID) Pankaj Srivastava stated that the criminal operation was conducted with a high level of coordination across multiple districts. While the current investigation centers on the confirmed ₹2.5 crore discrepancy, officials are now working to determine if the network extends further. Teams are currently scanning banking and insurance networks to identify other potential victims and participants in the organized fraud.

Policy Security Under Scrutiny

The PMJJBY is a vital social security initiative designed to provide a ₹2 lakh life insurance cover to economically weaker sections at an annual premium of ₹436. The abuse of this scheme by organized gangs has raised serious concerns regarding verification processes at both the municipal and banking levels. As the investigation progresses, state authorities are expected to push for tighter oversight to prevent similar misuse of government social security nets.

Ratlam Mob Lynching: Truck Driver Beaten to Death Over Water Splash

A minor dispute over water droplets from a truck led to a fatal mob attack on two brothers in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district.

RATLAM: In a harrowing incident reported from Madhya Pradesh, a 39-year-old truck driver from Rajasthan was allegedly beaten to death by a mob near Bilpank in Ratlam district. The violence, captured in a viral video that surfaced on Friday night, reportedly began after water from the victim's truck splashed onto a group of bikers. While the younger brother succumbed to his injuries during treatment, the elder sibling remains in a critical state.

Brutal Assault Caught on Camera

The 94-second video clip reveals a chilling scene inside a local tea stall. The victims, identified as Bhagwan Singh Tanwar and his elder brother Uday Singh Tanwar, were cornered by a group of eight men. Despite pleas for mercy and a bystander’s warning that "he will die," the attackers continued to strike the duo with iron rods and wooden sticks. The footage shows the attackers dragging the victims while ignoring calls to stop the violence.

Dispute Over Water Splash

According to the Latest News Today, the conflict originated on the four-lane highway near Saturunda. The brothers, hailing from Chhoti Sadri in Rajasthan, were transporting papaya and cotton in separate vehicles. Sources indicated that water droplets from Uday’s truck accidentally splashed onto bikers trailing behind. The bikers allegedly mistook the splash for spitting, leading to a heated chase that ended at a roadside eatery near Bilpank Fanta.

Escalation into Fatal Violence

What started as a verbal spat quickly escalated when the bikers reportedly called for reinforcements. Armed with rods, the group launched a coordinated attack on the drivers. Uday Singh attempted to shield his younger brother, but both were overpowered. Local police noted that the victims were rushed to the Ratlam Medical College in critical condition, where Bhagwan Singh was declared dead during the course of treatment.

Police Action and Arrests

The Bilpank police have moved swiftly following the outrage sparked by the incident. An India News Update confirms that a murder case has been registered against eight individuals. "We have taken seven accused into custody, including a minor who has been sent to a juvenile home," a senior police official stated. One of the accused is currently undergoing medical treatment in Ahmedabad under police watch.

Cross FIR and Investigation

In a standard legal development for such altercations, the police have also filed a cross FIR based on a counter-complaint from the accused side. The body of the deceased was handed over to the family on Thursday following a post-mortem examination. This Public Interest Story has once again raised concerns regarding road rage and mob justice on Indian highways, prompting calls for stricter patrolling.

Tense Calm in Region

As of Saturday, the situation in the Bilpank area remains stable but tense. This Trending News India highlights the volatility of highway disputes. Authorities are currently scanning additional CCTV footage from nearby establishments to identify if more individuals were involved in the provocation. The arrested adults have been remanded to two-day police custody for further interrogation.