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Drunken boast at roadside dhaba exposes eight-month-old murder in Nagpur

Informer tips off police after overhearing talk of buried body; five arrested including dhaba owner’s son

3 min readNagpurUpdated: Mar 11, 2026 08:36 PM IST

The breakthrough came after a police informer reported hearing a drunken man mention that a body had been buried near a dhaba on the Khindsi road near Nagpur, Superintendent of Police Harssh A Poddar said. (Image generated using AI)

AN OVERHEARD remark by a drunk man at a roadside dhaba helped the Nagpur rural police crack an eight-month-old murder case, leading to the arrest of five persons including the dhaba owner’s son.

“We have a network of informers around paan shops, dhabas and similar places. One of them called to say someone had got drunk and was speaking about a body they had buried near a dhaba on the Khindsi road. It was the only dhaba along that stretch,” Poddar said, adding that no missing person complaint had been filed in the case.

Acting on the tip-off on March 8, the Local Crime Branch began tracing the dhaba referred to in the conversation. As the informer did not know its name, police questioned workers at eateries along the road.

During interrogation, a worker at one of the dhabas was detained and questioned late into the night. He eventually confessed that a body had been buried months earlier in a nearby field.

The next day, police reached a field at Mauza Navargaon in Ramtek taluka. Though the suspect could not recall the exact location, he pointed to a patch where the grass appeared shorter than the surrounding vegetation. Police began digging there in the morning and recovered a buried body by afternoon in the presence of the tehsildar.

The deceased was later identified as Pratapsingh Mahadevsingh Bais (50), a cook who had been working at a roadside dhaba on the Ramtek Tumsar road. Bais, originally from Vile Parle in Mumbai, had frequent disputes with his employer over wages and had been asked to leave the job four days before the incident.

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Investigators found that on the night of July 26, 2025, an argument broke out between Bais and Piyush Kailas Thakre (23), son of the dhaba owner, Kailas Manikrao Thakre. During the altercation around 11 pm, Thakre allegedly strangled Bais with a rope.

Police said Thakre, along with three employees Shivram Potan Markam, Dharmaraj Tarachand Warthi and Dhiraj Dhanraj Wankhede buried the body in a pit in a nearby field to conceal the crime.

The murder went undetected for months as Bais had been estranged from his family and had not been in contact with them, resulting in no missing person complaint, police said.

All five accused have been arrested and booked under Sections 103(1), 238 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway.

Ankita Deshkar

Ankita Deshkar is a Deputy Copy Editor and a dedicated fact-checker at The Indian Express. Based in Maharashtra, she specializes in bridging the gap between technical complexity and public understanding. With a deep focus on Cyber Law, Information Technology, and Public Safety, she leads "The Safe Side" series, where she deconstructs emerging digital threats and financial scams. Ankita is also a certified trainer for the Google News Initiative (GNI) India Training Network, specializing in online verification and the fight against misinformation. She is also an AI trainer with ADiRA (AI for Digital Readiness and Advancement) Professional Background & Expertise Role: Fact-checker & Deputy Copy Editor, The Indian Express Experience: Started working in 2016 Ankita brings a unique multidisciplinary background to her journalism, combining engineering logic with mass communication expertise. Her work often intersects regional governance, wildlife conservation, and digital rights, making her a leading voice on issues affecting Central India, particularly the Vidarbha region. Key focus areas include: Fact-Checking & Verification: As a GNI-certified trainer, she conducts workshops on debunking deepfakes, verifying viral claims, and using OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) tools. Cyber Law & IT: With postgraduate specialization in Cyber Law, she decodes the legalities of data privacy, digital fraud, and the evolving landscape of intellectual property rights. Public Safety & Health: Through her "The Safe Side" column, she provides actionable intelligence on avoiding "juice jacking," "e-SIM scams," and digital extortion. Regional Reporting: She provides on-ground coverage of high-stakes issues in Maharashtra, from Maoist surrenders in Gadchiroli to critical healthcare updates and wildlife-human conflict in Nagpur. Education & Credentials Ankita is currently pursuing her PhD in Mass Communication and Journalism, focusing on the non-verbal communication through Indian classical dance forms. Her academic foundation includes: MA in Mass Communication (RTM Nagpur University) Bachelors in Electrical Engineering (RTM Nagpur University) Post Graduate Diploma (PGTD) in Cyber Law and Information Technology Specialization in Intellectual Property Rights Recent Notable Coverage Ankita’s reportage is recognized for its investigative depth and emphasis on accountability: Cyber Security: "Lost money to a scam? Act within the 'golden hour' or risk losing it all" — A deep dive into the critical window for freezing fraudulent transactions. Public Health: "From deep coma to recovery: First fully recovered Coldrif patient discharged" — Investigating the aftermath of pharmaceutical toxins and the healthcare response. Governance & Conflict: "Gadchiroli now looks like any normal city: SP Neelotpal" — An analysis of the socio-political shift in Maoist-affected regions. Signature Beat Ankita is best known for her ability to translate "technical jargon into human stories." Whether she is explaining how AI tools like MahaCrimeOS assist the police or exposing the dire conditions of wildlife transit centres, her writing serves as a bridge between specialized knowledge and everyday safety. Contact & Follow X (Twitter): @ankita_deshkar Email: ankita.deshkar@indianexpress.com ... Read More

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