In Bhavnagar, Gujarat, Assistant Conservator of Forests Shailesh Bachu Khambhla allegedly murdered his wife Naina Ben, his 9-year-old son Bhavya, and his 13-year-old daughter Pratha on November 5, 2025. Investigations revealed that Khambhla had ordered two pits dug near his Forest Colony quarters on November 2 under the pretext of fixing drainage issues. After strangling and suffocating his wife following an argument over where she should live, he murdered both children, slept in the house with the bodies, and buried them in the pits early the next morning. To cover up the crime, he had soil dumpers level the area, claimed a poisonous snake was present to keep workers away, placed a mat over the site alleging it was for injured animals, sent an unsent fake departure message from his wife's phone, and filed a false missing persons report. Police uncovered the plot through undelivered draft messages, witness statements from JCB operators, and call detail records, leading to the exhumation of the bodies and Khambhla's arrest.
Country: India
State/Province: Gujarat, India
City/Region: Bhavnagar
Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide
Relationship Status: Married
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Incident Date: Nov. 5, 2025
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How the relationship or connection began.
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2025-11-05
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Crime Tak - India · Original language: Hindi
सरकारी ऑफिसर Biwi का क़त्ल कर बेटी की लाश के साथ सोया,6 फीट ज़मीन खोद 3 लाशें गाड़ी,Police देख हैरान
Domestic Conflict
The relationship was characterized by chronic conflict regarding residential arrangements. Naina resided in Surat with her in-laws while Shailesh worked in Bhavnagar. When Naina requested to reside permanently with her husband in Bhavnagar, Shailesh resisted, preferring that she remain with his parents. This persistent dispute escalated into a premeditated triple homicide.
The investigation relied on digital forensics and witness interviews. Shailesh Bachu Khambhla was arrested after police found discrepancies in his missing person claim, including an undelivered draft text message on his wife's phone, denial of sightings by security guards, JCB excavation records from November 2, and matching call detail records placing both phones at the location.
Initial confusion was created by the accused filing a false missing persons report on November 7 and claiming on November 8 that a security guard saw his wife and children leaving in an auto-rickshaw. He also attempted to show a text message from his wife stating she was leaving him, but police discovered the message was stuck in draft status because the phone was in airplane mode.
On November 2, Shailesh commissioned two deep pits near his quarters. On November 5 around 7:00 AM, following an argument with Naina, he smothered her with a pillow and killed his two sleeping children. He slept in the house with the bodies, dragged them into the pits early on November 6, covered them with soil and debris using hired dumpers, and later reported them missing on November 7. Forensic and witness evidence exposed the plot.
The case demonstrates severe lethal escalation, where long-standing marital friction combined with pre-planned logistical preparation (arranging excavation prior to the focal dispute). The offender targeted both his spouse and children to permanently erase his familial obligations, followed by multi-layered post-offense deception.
Premeditated domestic violence can be disguised under routine domestic maintenance requests (such as excavation for drainage). Technical mistakes by offenders, such as failure to verify text message delivery on airplane mode, and rapid verification of false eyewitness claims can break complex cover-ups.
The primary early signal was Shailesh ordering JCB digging for deep pits on November 2 under the pretext of fixing home dirt and sewage drainage.
Key clues included the unsent draft text message on the victim's phone, the denial by security guards of seeing the family leave in an auto, and Shailesh warning workers away from the burial site with a fake snake story.
Strongest evidence included recovered bodies buried in six-foot and five-and-a-half-foot pits, call detail records matching location data, JCB operator testimony, and draft message logs on the victim's phone.
Security guards denied telling Shailesh that they saw Naina and the children leave in an auto-rickshaw. Range Forest Officer and excavator operators confirmed Shailesh requested digging on November 2 and prohibited workers from approaching the site on November 6 claiming a poisonous snake bit him.
Follow-up questioning transformed a missing persons inquiry into a triple homicide arrest after police verified guard claims, inspected excavation records, and exhumed the bodies from opposite the Forest Colony.
It remains legally pending regarding formal court proceedings and conviction details following Shailesh's arrest.