The search for a missing Bhopal businessman concluded tragically when his body was found in a water-filled pit within the Gunga police station jurisdiction. The deceased, identified as 40-year-old Devendra Mehra, had disappeared for 13 days after leaving his residence in Lambakheda.
According to police officials, Mehra, who ran a retail business selling ladies handbags in the Kotwali area, went missing on the morning of April 17 after informing his family that he was going out briefly to buy chewing tobacco. A missing person report was filed at the Eentkhedi police station when he did not return, leading to a search that eventually led authorities and family members to a rural property.
The police investigation heavily relied on digital forensics, which tracked the final signals of the deceased man’s mobile phone to a farm on the Dhamarra-Berasia Road, owned by the victim’s paternal uncle. Family members searching the property discovered the body in a decomposed state inside a pit on Wednesday morning. Despite the condition of the remains, the identity was confirmed through his clothing, mobile phone, and slippers found at the site.
Following the discovery, the body underwent a post-mortem examination and was later handed over to the grieving family for final rites. The circumstances of the death have transformed from a missing person case to a suspicious death investigation. Narayan, the deceased’s elder brother, has accused three relatives of foul play based on Call Detail Records showing Devendra’s last phone conversations with his cousins Manoj Mehra and Kaluram, and a distant sister-in-law named Mirabai. The police are currently investigating the case as a suspicious death and are questioning the suspects to establish the motive and events leading to the businessman’s demise.
