The Desi Crime Podcast

Order our book, Desi Crime, available now on Amazon:https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKWGet the audiobook with our lovely voices: https://www.audible.in/pd/B0FK4L77SY?source_code=ASSORAP0511160007 The case we have for you today is of a successful, driven and happy couple who were doing their best, their very best to raise their son and live their life to the fullest, until one day, their lives and the lives of everyone who knew them were turned upside down. This is the story of one of Bangladesh's most infamous crimes. This is the story of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.

Desi Crime Book, out now: https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKW Audio book, only on Audible: https://www.audible.in/pd/B0FK4L77SY?source_code=ASSORAP0511160007Houston’s late-summer heat can feel suffocating—thick air clinging to the skin, the city humming under streetlights. On one such night in August 2024, a brief, trembling phone call shattered that quiet. The building manager of a modest apartment complex near Texas Southern University picked up to hear a stranger’s voice: there was a dead body in his apartment. Moments later, he was standing in the doorway of a crime scene that would haunt an entire community. This is a case that would send shockwaves through Houston’s Nepali community, ignite an urgent manhunt, and unravel a story that touched on immigration, vulnerability, and predation. And at its heart was the life of a young woman who had crossed oceans to build a future—only to have it violently stolen. This is the story of that Texas evening, that phone call, that one girl. This is the story of Muna Pandey.

Order now, on Amazon India: https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKWAudio book, only on Audible: https://www.audible.in/pd/B0FK4L77SY?source_code=ASSORAP0511160007Head over to your nearest book stores in India and pester the shopkeepers to buy the physical copy yourself. If you’re an ABCD or NRI or just happen to be a lovely human being abroad, here are the links where you can get em:- USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/936113325X- UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/936113325X

Order our book, Desi Crime, available now on Amazon:https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKWGet the audiobook with our lovely voices: https://www.audible.in/pd/B0FK4L77SY?source_code=ASSORAP0511160007It was a freezing February night in upstate New York. Snowflakes swirled in the wind, settling over a quiet strip mall in the small town of Orchard Park. Inside one of the units — a modest television studio lined with bright posters and soft studio lights — two people stood on the brink of an ending. On paper, they were a power couple. He, a charismatic businessman from Pakistan. She, an architect with a sharp mind and a warm smile. Together, they had built America’s first English-language Muslim television network — a dream born in the wake of 9/11, a vision of countering stereotypes and celebrating community. But dreams can hide nightmares. Behind the glossy photos, the awards, the handshakes with community leaders, was a marriage on the brink of catastrophe. What happened next that chilly Friday would shock the nation, ignite debates about culture and religion, and leave an entire community questioning how well they really knew the people they celebrated. This is the story of Aasiya Zubair.

Order our book, Desi Crime, available now on Amazon:https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKWGet the audiobook with our lovely voices: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0FK4LYC19In the early 90s, Bollywood crowned a new queen. At just 19, she was everywhere—on every poster, every magazine cover, every marquee. She was dazzling, unstoppable, and hungry to prove herself. A star so bright it felt like nothing could dim her light. But then, one night, it ended in a way no one saw coming. The industry went into shock. Fans demanded answers. Rumors exploded—about her marriage, about the people in her home that night, about secrets Bollywood still won’t discuss openly. Decades later, questions remain. Was it an accident? Was it something more sinister? Or was it the unbearable cost of fame at too young an age? This is the story of that star and that one night. This is the story of Divya Bharti.

Order our book, Desi Crime, available now on Amazon: https://amzn.in/d/cbJjyu3Get the audiobook with our lovely voices: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0FK4LYC19Under the soft July sun in Gurugram, as the kitchen clock ticked just past 10:30 a.m. on July 10, 2025, a quiet home in Sushant Lok echoed with gunfire. A promising young tennis coach, just 25, lay still on the kitchen floor—her dreams cut short in broad daylight. She had played for India. Coached the next generation. Laughed with friends hours before she died. And then—she was gone. No intruder broke in. No stranger fled the scene. The truth would unearth a betrayal far more devastating. This morning of unspeakable tragedy shattered a family, stunned a nation and ignited urgent conversation about autonomy, patriarchy, and violence against women. This is the story of that July morning and that one girl that has taken India by storm. This is the story of Radhika Yadav. 

He was young, brilliant, and fearless — an IIM grad who took a job no one wanted. One night, he vanished after a routine inspection in a small Indian town. What happened next would expose a chilling underworld no one was ready to face. Today’s episode of The Desi Crime Podcast is powered by Ryze — a nicotine gum for those looking to quit: https://weryze.comOrder our book, Desi Crime, available now on Amazon:https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKWFor extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/join

Order our book, Desi Crime, available now on Amazon:https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKWDharmasthala, Karnataka. For centuries, its name has meant justice. It's a place where faith feels tangible, a sanctuary where a Hindu deity is served by a Jain family in a rare show of harmony. But in July of 2025, a story would emerge that threatened to turn this sacred ground into a crime scene. A story that suggests for years, while pilgrims prayed for salvation, others were being buried in shallow graves. It began when one man decided he could no longer carry the weight of what he had done, and what he had seen. A man who claimed that he held the key to over one hundred unsolved deaths. This is the story of the skeletons of Dharmasthala.

Order our book, Desi Crime, available now on Amazon:https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKWThe case that I have for you guys today is one that sent Pakistani authorities on the largest manhunt for Pakistan's most notorious serial killer. This is the story of a man whose only motive in life was to hear the cries of a hundred mothers. This is the story of Javed Iqbal.

Under the soft orange wash of a Rishikesh dusk, the air held its breath. A girl, nineteen, bright-eyed, new to the city and newer still to her first job, walked the narrow paths of Vanantra Resort, hemmed in by forest on one side and the rush of the Ganga canal on the other. It was the kind of evening where the world feels hushed, the kind where ordinary things--like a phone ringing unanswered or a light flickering on and off--begin to feel loaded with meaning. And for days after that dusk, the only thing louder than the silence surrounding her absence was the rising voice of a father searching for his daughter, denied help at every turn. No FIR. No urgency. Just a closed door at every police station he visited. The roads he walked were met with apathy, even as each hour that passed pulled Ankita further from reach. By the time the news broke, it had already been six days. Six days of unanswered questions. Six days of phone calls met with lies. Six days before the Ganga revealed what the system tried to bury. This is the story of that Rishikesh resort, that 2022 evening, and that girl. This is the story of Ankita Bhandari.

A chill wind whispered through the sugarcane fields of Uttar Pradesh, carrying with it the scent of rigid traditions belonging to a bygone era. In villages where life moved with the seasons and ancient customs held strong, a new tension was starting to build. For generations, the idea of freedom for women, the freedom to choose, to be, to experience the world around them as men would, was a forbidden thought, a dangerous secret. But in 2014, as the world outside moved faster, even these quiet places began to feel a tremor of defiance. It was a time when a simple phone could open up a world of possibilities, and with it, a rush of fear and anger. In a world desperate to control, some dared to dream of freedom, and for two young girls, that dream would become a terrible nightmare. This is the story of that little village in Uttar Pradesh and its open fields. This is the story of Padma and Lalli.

New Delhi, India's capital and a city of 30 million people is infamous for being the suicide capital of the world. Yet the case that I have for you today still gives me and countless other Delhi residents sleepless nights. This is the story of a banyan tree, a happy seemingly home, a mass suicide of 11, and a shared secret nobody still fully understands to this day. This is the Burari case.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

"If you don’t hear from me… they’ve killed me.” Those were a girl’s words. Not in a dramatic diary entry, not to a friend over a cappucino, but in a cold, trembling text to the boy she loved. She was eighteen. Eighteen and afraid — of the very people who gave her life. So when the sun rose on a quiet field in northern Italy nearly six months later, and a search dog started barking over a shallow patch of soil — no one said it out loud, but everyone standing there already knew whose body they were about to find. The spot was ordinary — the edge of a disused farmhouse, flanked by crop lines and fencing. But from under that earth came bone. Then plastic. Then hair. And in that moment, a message that once sounded like fear… became a prophecy. This is the story of an honor killing that shook Italy. This is the story of Saman Abbas.

To mark 5 years of Desi Crime, here is a special episode of Chai & Chithi. We bring to you the scariest, eeriest, most terrifying tales, sent in to us by our listeners, all while we recount some of our most pivotal moments at Desi Crime. From discussing its inception, to its successes, and its pitfalls along the way, Aishwarya and Aryaan welcome you to the 5 years anniversary special.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam travel to the misty hills of Meghalaya for their dream honeymoon, but a frantic phone call from a remote jungle trail is their last contact with the world. After Raja's body is discovered brutally murdered in a deep gorge, a nationwide hunt begins for his missing bride. The investigation, however, unearths a chilling conspiracy that turns the search for Sonam from a rescue mission into a hunt for a killer hiding in plain sight. Was this the perfect honeymoon, or the perfect murder plot?For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/join

TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE, HEAD TO: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor many Indian families, America is the dream. A clean, green world where jobs are stable, homes are spacious, and children thrive under the flag of opportunity. But sometimes, behind suburban smiles and manicured lawns, something else grows. Something silent. Something dangerous. In late 2023 and early 2024, news began to surface of not one, not two, but three separate incidents involving Indian-American families—fathers who, by all outward appearances, had it all. Educated. Employed. Settled. And yet, in three quiet homes, across three different states, these men killed their families. Wives. Children. And then, themselves. These aren’t just stories of individual tragedy. They are stories of pressure and breakdown, of cultural dislocation and invisible suffering. They raise questions we rarely ask until it's too late: What happens when the dream begins to rot from the inside? This is the story of that one question. This is the story of the Kamals. The Henrys. The Nagarajappas.

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April 1959. Commander K.M. Nanavati walked into Prem Ahuja’s bedroom with a loaded revolver — and minutes later, Ahuja was dead, a towel around his waist, a nation holding its breath. What began as a crime of passion turned into a trial that destroyed India’s jury system, divided public opinion, and left behind one of the most explosive scandals in Indian legal history.This World Tobacco Free Day, click this link and join 2025 people who are quitting tobacco with the help of Ryze. When you sign up, you’ll get: 5 free packs of Ryze gum, access to a WhatsApp community, a one-on-one consultation, and an info guide written by professionals. No cost. No catch. Link below. https://weryze.com/pages/ryzeup2025For fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

The year is 1966. Mumbai, the city of dreams, is dreaming. By day, the city was bustling. But by night, Mumbai's heartbeat changed. Families in the northern suburbs whispered warnings, doors were bolted earlier than usual, and some streets grew eerily silent. Because someone was hunting. Quietly. Brutally. On the sidelines, a young and enigmatic police detective had just taken over the city’s Crime Branch. And what he stepped into was not just a murder investigation — it was a descent into a mind unlike any the force had dealt with before. A mind that believed it was acting on divine command. This is not just a story of murder. It’s a story of paranoia, delusion, and the thin line between madness and evil. This is the story of Raman Raghav.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios OR Join our YouTube family: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

The platform at Howrah station is always loud. It crackles with the sound of steel, hurried footsteps, impatient whistles. But every so often, something moves within that noise. Something evil. On a cold November afternoon in 1933, a young heir passed through that tide. Surrounded by family, on his way home to a princely estate, he walked — as so many around him did. And like so many others, he might have forgotten the bump of a shoulder, the brush of a sleeve, the feeling of a moment too fast to register. Except he didn’t. Because that day, that brush, that fleeting second — it left behind something no one could see. Something that would turn a routine train journey into one of the most unbelievable true crime stories of pre independent India. This is the story of Amarendra Chandra Pandey. For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios