In 2013, the Malayalam film Drishyam, with its intricate plot of a man outwitting the police and covering up a murder, captivated audiences across India. But for a man in Karnataka, the film served as a blueprint for murder—a crime that went unnoticed until a routine missing person case in 2024 unravelled his web of deception.On August 12, 2024, a man named Balaraju walked into the Magadi police station with a worried expression. His friend Lalitha, a beautician from Madanayakanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru, had vanished without a trace.Known to many as Divya, the 30-year-old had been living separately from her husband, Umesh, for two years, raising their five-year-old son alone while pursuing divorce proceedings.The police later learnt that Lalitha’s marriage to Umesh, a travel agency employee, had crumbled under the weight of his alcohol addiction. Her active Instagram presence was a source of constant suspicion for Umesh, who was convinced she was having an affair. The couple’s separation had been bitter. Lalitha, a beautician from Madanayakanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru, had vanished without a trace. (Source: Express Photo)That August evening, Umesh had called Lalitha to discuss the divorce, Balaraju told the police. Umesh suggested they meet near the Basavanna temple close to Magadi to discuss matters “amicably”, he allegedly said. Lalitha agreed, but sensing something amiss, she shared her live location on WhatsApp with Balaraju’s wife, Uma, before she left, borrowing a two-wheeler from him.A digital trial that led to a bodyThe live location that Lalitha shared told a chilling story. In the FIR, Balaraju said that at 6.17 pm, Lalitha’s location signal ended abruptly near Honnapura Lake. When Uma tried calling Lalitha and Umesh, neither answered. At 8.12 pm, Balaraju told the police, Umesh returned the borrowed two-wheeler, claiming he had accompanied Lalitha and put her on a bus home.But 19 minutes later, at 8.31 pm, Umesh allegedly called Balaraju confessing that he had killed Lalitha and begged him not to tell anyone. Twelve minutes after that, he allegedly made another desperate call, pleading with Balaraju to delete the WhatsApp live location that had been shared, as per the FIR. Balaraju and Uma immediately alerted the police.Story continues below this adFollowing the digital trail left by Lalitha’s shared location, the police found her body buried in a forest. Umesh was arrested. So was an alleged accomplice, Kiran Kumar—a man who seemingly had no motive for the murder. What transpired later left the police shocked.A routine question changes the course of the probeDuring questioning, the police asked Kiran about his family. His response was allegedly matter-of-fact: his wife Pooja had eloped with another man a decade ago, leaving him to raise their seven-year-old daughter alone, he told the police.However, Inspector Giriraj G Y, who was leading the investigation, was puzzled by certain aspects of Umesh’s crime. “Why would Umesh bring his wife all the way from Madanayakanahalli to Magadi to kill her?” he remembers wondering. “He could have done it anywhere close to his place.”When pressed, Umesh allegedly revealed that choosing the remote location had been Kiran’s idea. This detail sparked Giriraj’s curiosity about Kiran’s background, especially since no family members had visited him after his arrest.Story continues below this adThe breakthrough came when a constable contacted Kiran’s mother-in-law, Gowramma, who lived in Tavarekere, Bengaluru. When asked about her daughter Pooja, Gowramma’s story differed from Kiran’s narrative, the police said. She said Pooja had disappeared five years ago—not 10—and that Kiran had filed a missing person’s complaint with Magadi police.A quick check of police records, however, revealed that no such missing complaint had ever been filed. When confronted with this discrepancy, Kiran allegedly claimed he had come with two friends to file the complaint. The police tracked down these alleged friends, who categorically denied accompanying Kiran to any police station.Faced with evidence of his alleged deception, Kiran’s carefully constructed story began to collapse. Under intense interrogation, he allegedly confessed to a murder in Hujugallu village in Ramanagara district that had remained hidden for five years.The Drishyam connectionKiran’s confession revealed a chilling parallel to the Mohanlal-starrer Drishyam that had allegedly inspired his crime. On May 1, 2019, following fights with his wife, Pooja, he strangled her to death, the police said. Taking inspiration from the film’s protagonist, George Kutty, he buried her body in a forest near Magadi, creating an elaborate cover story about her eloping with another man, the police added.Story continues below this adTo maintain his deception, Kiran allegedly prepared a fake police complaint, which he would show to Gowramma whenever she inquired about the investigation’s progress. Over time, Pooja’s family’s questions became less frequent, allowing Kiran to believe he had gotten away with murder.When life mirrored Drishyam sequelThe story took an even more bizarre turn when Kiran revealed how Drishyam 2 also allegedly influenced his actions. Two years after the murder, forest department officials began digging trenches in the area to prevent elephants from entering nearby villages. Fearing his crime might be discovered, Kiran took inspiration from the sequel, he allegedly told the police.He allegedly secretly excavated Pooja’s remains, burnt the bones and teeth, and reburied them at a farm. Like the movie’s protagonist, he believed destroying evidence would eliminate any possibility of detection, the police said.On August 26, 2024, based on Gowramma’s complaint, the police registered a murder case against Kiran. He led investigators to the burial site, where forensic experts and Tahsildar Sharath Kumar oversaw the excavation. The burnt bones and teeth were recovered and sent for DNA analysis, with samples from Gowramma taken for comparison.Story continues below this adThe Magadi police later filed charge sheets in both murder cases. Though Umesh and Kiran are out on bail, a police officer said that there was sufficient scientific evidence to prove the murders.