He was convicted of murder in 2008, and six years later, he jumped parole and vanished.
For a decade or more, Hemant Nagindas Purshottamdas Modi hid in plain sight, seemingly not recognised by anyone – including the millions who watched him in several big-budget films, as well as plays and web series.
On the big screen, Hemant Modi appeared alongside superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Mohanlal – and also Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Sara Ali Khan.
And then, his luck ran out. Real-life caught up, cutting short his dream reel life.
On Thursday, the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of Ahmedabad City Police swooped on premises near the city’s Gheekanta Metro Station. There, they found Hemant Modi, fugitive from justice since 2014 – known in his current world as Spandan Modi, 54-year-old actor.
This is his story, according to police.
On August 27, 2008, Hemant Modi, his brother Sachin, and five others were convicted of the murder of one Narendra alias Nano Yashwant Kamble. The murder took place on June 15, 2005.
The trial court sentenced all accused to life imprisonment. Hemant Modi was first incarcerated in Sabarmati Central Jail and then transferred to Mehsana Jail. There, he became Prisoner Number 31146.
Six years into his sentence, on July 25, 2014, Gujarat High Court gave Hemant Modi 30 days’ parole. Prisoner Number 31146 walked out of jail – never to return.
The other six individuals who were convicted with him completed their sentences, and have since been rehabilitated in society, Police Inspector P M Dhakhada, Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, said.
After jumping parole, Hemant Modi lived in Patan district for a year, until 2015. He then changed his name to Twinkle Mukund Dave, and moved to Ahmedabad. He took up a job in a private company, and accommodation as a paying guest. And then, he decided that his life needed some drama.
He began with the stage, making his way into the theatre scene. He seems to have made fairly rapid progress – by 2017, he had landed up in Mumbai, and had started to land himself small roles as a supporting actor in Bollywood. ‘Spandan Modi’ had arrived.
According to police, Hemant Modi alias Spandan acted alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan in Yash Raj Films’ ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ (2018), alongside Ranveer Singh and Boman Irani in Divyang Thakkar’s ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ (2022), and alongside Aditya Roy Kapur and Sara Ali Khan in Anurag Basu’s ‘Metro…in dino’ in 2025.
He also worked in the Mohanlal starrer ‘L2: Empuraan’ (2025), and in the upcoming films ‘Lahore 1947’ starring Sunny Deol, and ‘Tu Hai Meri Kiran’ starring Sonakshi Sinha.
Police said Hemant Modi also acted in about 20 Gujarati films, the web series ‘Taskari’ starring Emraan Hashmi, two Hindi and four Gujarati serials, and 17 Gujarati plays including ‘Yugpurush’ and ‘Gandhi Viruddh Godse’.
In 2025, however, Hemant Modi returned to live in Ahmedabad, where he was nabbed after someone finally recognised him.
“Hemant Modi had developed an interest in acting while in college. We have learnt that he may have studied journalism as well. However, he was practising as a junior lawyer and, according to his brother Sachin, had also passed a government exam when the murder took place.” Inspector Dhakhada said.
Police zeroed in on the fugitive after getting some “confidential information”, Dhakhada said. “Hemant Modi had cut ties with his family, divorced his wife, and left his friends. He had near zero digital presence, and he was not on social media,” he said.
“However, it appears that after he came back to Ahmedabad, someone recognised him, leading to the tip to the police. We detained him and compared his characteristics and features to descriptions from the prison, which matched exactly. He ultimately confessed to his actual identity,” Dhakhada said.
For a decade or more, Hemant Nagindas Purshottamdas Modi hid in plain sight, seemingly not recognised by anyone – including the millions who watched him in several big-budget films, as well as plays and web series. 
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