A Surat dietician murdered by husband, her body hidden in cement

A Marriage That Turned Sour

According to police, Vishal and Shilpa used to quarrel regularly and he suspected her of having an affair. Shilpa refused to let him check her mobile phone, and this led to frequent altercations. The couple have two sons, aged 13 and eight.

According to the police, Vishal wrote in the letter, “After a pleasant marriage of several years, there was a change in the behaviour of my wife, our relations strained, and we used to quarrel frequently. Fed up with regular quarrels and unable to bear any more, I have committed this crime, and no one else is involved or responsible. I committed the crime on April 20 and hid her body in my ancestral home at Salabatpura.”

Police have now registered a case of murder against Vishal following a complaint by Shilpa’s father, Pradip Kosta.

What Shilpa’s Father Said

Kosta has told police that Shilpa and Vishal married in 2010. Vishal worked in the diamond industry but had been unemployed for the past couple of years. This led to frequent quarrels between him and Shilpa, who had to run the household alone. Kosta, who lives in Chhattisgarh, has told police that he travelled to Surat multiple times to mediate between them. On April 21, he called her, but the phone was switched off. Vishal told him that Shilpa had not returned from the hospital. The worried father sensed something was not right. He rushed to Surat and questioned his son-in-law, but received evasive replies. Around this time, Vishal tried to flee after dropping the confession letter on a relative’s phone. He was later detained.

A Cement Cover-Up Attempt

Police have said that the letter led them to Vishal’s home in Salabatpura. On the first floor, they found Shilpa’s body inside a wooden box. Inspector RA Jadeja told The Indian Express, “The dead body was concealed in a mixture of mud and cement in a 4.5 square-foot wooden box. He had not poured water on it. The accused has confessed to the crime in his letter. He has also said he doubted her character.

“On April 20, he took Shilpa on his bike to his ancestral home in Salabatpura. There, he strangled her to death and disposed of the dead body. After we saw his note, we arrived at his ancestral home and found the body.”