A gruesome crime in Pune has shocked Maharashtra after police arrested a 42-year-old man for murdering his wife in a plot allegedly inspired by the Bollywood thriller Drishyam.
The accused, identified as Sammer Punjabrao Jadhav, ran an automobile garage in Shivane and was reportedly influenced by the movie while planning the murder of his wife, Anjali Jadhav, a 38-year-old schoolteacher.
Investigations revealed that Sammer was involved in an extramarital affair and began sending fake messages to his wife from a friend&rsquo;s phone to create mistrust. On October 26, he took her to a rented godown in Shindewadi, where he strangled her to death.
To erase all evidence, he placed her body in an iron box, burned it using firewood he had stored, and later scattered the ashes in a nearby riverbed. Two days later, he filed a missing persons complaint, pretending to be a distressed husband.
However, discrepancies in his statements and CCTV footage exposed the lie. During questioning, Sammer eventually confessed. Police said the murder was premeditated, with every step planned in detail from renting the godown to disposing of the remains.
The case has sparked discussions about the influence of crime-based films on real-life behaviour.

Influenced by ‘Drishyam’, a Pune man murders his wife and tries to erase all evidence

Pune Man Kills Wife in Drishyam-Inspired Plot

Influenced by ‘Drishyam’, a Pune man murders his wife and tries to erase all evidence

November 10, 2025 | 16:35 IST