Love, betrayal and murder: Madhya Pradesh man’s fate revealed after 6 months in a septic tank

Dubai: What began as a romance on social media ended in a chilling murder, investigators say, with a young man’s body allegedly hidden in a septic tank for months before a grim discovery exposed the truth.

Six months after a 22-year-old man was reported missing in Madhya Pradesh, police recovered skeletal remains from a septic tank behind the accused’s house, NDTV reported, uncovering what officers describe as a calculated killing driven by an alleged affair.

Prince Balmiki, a resident of Sagar district, was reported missing on August 20 by his wife, Tulsi. The disappearance initially produced few leads, but persistent suspicion from Prince’s family kept pressure on investigators.

According to NDTV’s account of the investigation, the case took a dramatic turn when police, acting on technical surveillance and mobile tracking, arrested Shoaib in Narsinghpur district. During questioning, he allegedly confessed to drugging and murdering Prince.

Police claim the motive stemmed from an illicit relationship.

Investigators allege that Tulsi and Shoaib were involved even before her marriage to Prince — a marriage that itself reportedly began through social media. Officers say the relationship continued after the wedding, fuelling tensions inside the household.

Family members told police that Tulsi’s behaviour changed within weeks of the marriage, with frequent disputes disrupting the couple’s life. The pair later moved to Deori, where Prince began staying at his wife’s parental home.

What followed, police say, was a disturbing chain of events.

Authorities allege Shoaib befriended Prince during this period. Investigators further claim Shoaib, described by police as addicted to smack, gradually introduced Prince to drugs. As Prince’s dependency grew, Shoaib allegedly continued meeting Tulsi in secret.

When Prince discovered the relationship and objected, tensions escalated sharply, officers said.

Inspector Hariram Mankar, the investigating officer, told NDTV that Shoaib confessed to executing the murder on the very day Prince was reported missing.

According to the police version, Shoaib allegedly drugged Prince on August 20 before killing him. The body was then dumped into a septic tank behind Shoaib’s residence and concealed beneath layers of garbage to avoid detection.

In a macabre attempt to destroy evidence, the accused allegedly monitored the site for weeks and sprinkled salt over the remains to accelerate decomposition, investigators claimed.

Under heavy security, police later took Shoaib to the location, where officers excavated the septic tank and recovered a skull and bone fragments believed to be Prince’s remains. The remains have been sent for DNA analysis to confirm their identity.

Police further allege that Shoaib fled the area after the crime, travelling with Tulsi to Gujarat, where the two were reportedly living together.

Videos of the pair eventually surfaced on social media and reached Prince’s family, intensifying their long-held suspicions that his disappearance was not voluntary.

Acting on family inputs and technical evidence, investigators traced Shoaib’s movements and arrested him in Narsinghpur.

Prince’s relatives said they had never accepted the missing-person narrative.

“We always believed something was wrong. We kept demanding a proper investigation,” Prince’s brother told NDTV.

The Superintendent of Police confirmed that further questioning is underway and that investigators are exploring whether additional individuals were involved.

“Strict action will be taken against anyone found complicit,” the officer said.

The gruesome recovery has shocked the region, transforming what appeared to be a routine missing-person case into a deeply unsettling murder investigation.

The accused is expected to be produced in court, where police are likely to seek remand as the probe continues.