Reader Advisory: The following story contains intense and unsettling themes. It may not be suitable for all readers. Proceed with caution if you’re sensitive to dark or disturbing content.
Disclaimer: All the stories under #StorySutra are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author does not intend to malign any individual, group, or organisation.
© Lekhak Anurag. Any unauthorised reproduction, personal or commercial, without permission is prohibited. For reproduction or commercial use of the story, please ping me on mailme[at]lekhakanurag.com.
Coming back home
“Mumma! Mumma! Bhaiya is outside! Bhaiya is outside!” Rashi screamed at the top of her lungs as she rushed outside. Her brother, Gaurav, was back. He had gone missing a year ago after stepping out to buy some snacks. “Mumma!” Rashi screamed again as she hugged Gaurav. He was thin, as if he hadn’t been fed properly. His face showed no expressions. He didn’t hug Rashi back or react to her tight embrace.
“Mera bachcha!” (My child!) Damini screamed as she rushed out and laid eyes on Gaurav. She sprinted towards him without wasting a second. “Where were you? Who took you? Why are you so thin? What is this robe?” she bombarded him with questions, examining him with a mother’s eyes. Her son, who had disappeared without a trace, was back. Damini’s family, one of the wealthiest in the small town of Rudrapur, had been devastated when Gaurav went missing in February 2022. The police did everything in their power to trace Gaurav’s whereabouts but to no avail. Being a small town, the number of CCTVs was insufficient to trace where he went or who took him.
“Mumma, Bhaiya is back. Calm down. We’ll have plenty of time to ask these questions. Let’s go inside and call Papa,” Rashi requested her mother. “Haan… chalo” (Yes… let’s go), Damini said, holding Gaurav tightly as they went inside. “Hello… Hello Papa? Papa, come home. Bhaiya aagaya!” (Papa, come home. Brother is here!) Rashi called her father, Bhimsen Arora. “What do you mean by ‘aagaya’? Did the police find him?” Bhimsen was confused. “No! He was standing outside when I saw him. Come home… NOW!” Rashi almost ordered her father.
#StorySutra: Story 4 – Story Sutra – Story 4: The Missing Year: A Return Wrapped in Darkness
— Anurag (@LekhakAnurag) August 30, 2024
🚨Reader Advisory: The following story contains intense and unsettling themes. It may not be suitable for all readers. Proceed with caution if you’re sensitive to dark or disturbing… pic.twitter.com/9iKJsTbdXg
“Haan haan nikal raha hun” (Yes, yes, I am leaving), Bhimsen didn’t bother to shut down his computer or follow his usual routine before leaving the office. “Priyanka… PRIYANKA! Lock the office. Go home,” he shouted to his secretary while leaving, leaving her bewildered. Bhimsen was the only exporter of Keenu fruit in his area. His efforts had not only made a fortune for his family but also benefited the farmers in the nearby villages. When Gaurav went missing, everyone was heartbroken to see Bhimsen’s family suffering.
Bhimsen’s office was 30 minutes away from his house. Even on empty roads, it would usually take him 20-25 minutes to reach home. But that day, he was home in less than 15 minutes. “Kidhar hai? Gaurav, GAURAV! My son… where were you? Why didn’t you call? Who took you? How did you come back? Are you alright?” Bhimsen bombarded Gaurav with questions just like Damini had. “Isko khana diya? Kuch khilao isko…” (Did you give him food? Feed him something…) he looked at Rashi while sitting next to Gaurav. “Calm down, Papa. Mumma gave him one parantha. He ate only half of it.”
For the rest of the day, all four of them just sat in the living room without saying much. Gaurav was evidently not interested in talking about the whole year he was missing. They had dinner. Everything Gaurav liked was on the table, but he ate only a couple of chapatis with curd and didn’t touch anything else. No one in the family wanted to do anything that might cause him to leave again.
“Rashi, bhaiya ka kamra set kar diya?” (Rashi, have you set Bhaiya’s room?) Damini whispered to her. “Haan kab ka… waise bhi saaf hi tha” (Yes, a while ago… it was already clean anyway), Rashi smiled. “Gaurav, do you want to sleep now or sit here a bit longer?” Damini asked Gaurav. “I will sleep. Good night,” Gaurav, who had hardly said anything throughout the day, spoke these five words after a gap of four hours. He went to his room without looking at anyone.
“Damini… we need to talk to Dr Kulkarni about him… I think he needs help,” Bhimsen said to Damini, worried for Gaurav. “I was about to suggest the same. Dr Kulkarni helped Rashi in getting out of trauma when Gaurav left. I’m sure he will be able to help him. I’ll book an appointment with him for tomorrow or the day after, whenever possible,” Damini picked up her phone and messaged the doctor for an appointment. “He’s saying a day after tomorrow. Chalo badhiya hi hai. Kal SHO Singh ko bhi bula lenge kuch poochna ho to…” (That works well. We can also call SHO Singh tomorrow in case he has questions…) She put her phone on the side table.
As Gaurav sat silently, his eyes darted around the familiar room, now feeling oddly foreign. Before his disappearance, Gaurav was the lively soul of the Arora household—always cracking jokes, sneaking sweets for Rashi, and staying up late to help Damini with her garden. His curiosity and kindness had made him a favourite in the neighbourhood, often seen sharing stories with kids at the local park or helping elders cross the bustling streets of Rudrapur. But the Gaurav that returned felt like a stranger, his once-bright eyes now clouded with shadows, as if a part of him had been left behind in that missing year.
“Chalo, let’s sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day,” Bhimsen said while picking up his phone. They all slept with a lot of questions in their minds.
Silent revelations
The next morning, SHO Harpal Singh reached Bhimsen’s house at 8 AM sharp. By that time, everyone had already had breakfast. “Come, SHO saab,” (Come, SHO sir) Bhimsen welcomed him inside. “Yeh raha aapka muzrim. Ab aap hi pucho kidhar tha yeh” (Here is your criminal. Now you ask him where he was), he smiled at Gaurav and stepped back to let the SHO sit. “Gaurav, can you tell me who took you?” SHO started questioning him without wasting a second. Gaurav was visibly stressed by his presence. He looked at Bhimsen and Damini. Both of them signalled him to calm down and assured him it would be alright.
“No…” Gaurav replied. “Okay, were you taken?” SHO asked. “Yes, someone…” Gaurav was hesitant about talking to SHO. “Do you remember who? Anything that can help us find him?” SHO asked with hope. “Them… find ‘THEM’,” Gaurav insisted, pointing out that there was more than one kidnapper. “I do not know who they were. I was taken from the path outside on 6th February 2022. They grabbed me from behind and threw me into a van. After that, I don’t know what happened. The only thing I remember is living in a dark room alone. There was no light. The next thing I remember was standing outside my house. I didn’t know it had been one year…” Gaurav said in a single breath.
SHO Singh became more curious about the kidnappers. “Anything that may identify them? Any tattoo, scar, or anything in particular?” he asked, hoping to get more information. “No. That’s it. Can I go to my room now?” He looked at Bhimsen again. “Yes, please go and rest,” SHO said before Gaurav’s father could reply. Gaurav left the room without greeting anyone.
“Has he been behaving like this since yesterday?” He asked while looking at Damini. “Yes, since he came back,” she said. “This is strange. Anyway, I have recorded his statement. I’ll call you when and if required. I will close the missing part of the case, but the kidnappers part will remain open, and I will need Gaurav’s help in the future,” SHO Singh said while standing up. “Can we just close the case? He is back. I do not want to stress him,” Bhimsen asked. “Unfortunately, no… but I will try not to bother your family much from now on. Please relax and enjoy his return. I’ll send you a copy of the updated FIR.”
Seeking answers
“Bhim, Gaurav has a doctor’s appointment today. Are you coming?” Damini asked while serving breakfast to him. “No, I won’t be able to make it. I’m thinking of taking a break from the office for a couple of weeks to be with you all. For that, I have to go today and put things in order. You take him and call me when it’s done. I’ll take you three for dinner. By the way, when is Sheela coming back? It has been over a week. I don’t like you doing all the work, pushing it unnecessarily. If back pain starts again, it will ruin your time with Gaurav…” Bhimsen was talking without looking at Damini, engrossed in his office file.
“If you had looked up once, you would have noticed her working in the kitchen,” Damini laughed. “Saab ji, maine apni chutti kaat di bhaiya ka pata chala to. Bahut khush hun ke bhaiya aagaye. Ab raunak wapas aajayegi ghar ki” (Sir, I cut short my leave when I heard Bhaiya was back. I am so happy that Bhaiya is back. The house will be lively again), Sheela said while serving a glass of water to Bhimsen. Sheela had been working for the family for over a decade. Her mother had been the nanny for Gaurav and Rashi. There was a bond between Sheela’s and Damini’s families, and they always treated her like a family member. She was away for a family function but rushed back without attending it till the end when she heard about Gaurav.
“Didi, main peeche se saara ghar saaf kar lungi. Aap aaram se jao. Rashi bitiya bhi jayegi?” (Sister, I will clean the whole house from the back. You go peacefully. Will Rashi also go?) Sheela asked Damini. “Na na. Woh ghar par hi rahegi. Baad mein aajaygi. Tum bhi aajana uske saath, theek hai?” (No, no. She will stay at home. She will come later. You also come along with her, okay?) Damini said while getting ready for the doctor’s appointment.
“Gaurav… Gaurav? Chalein beta?” (Gaurav… Gaurav? Shall we go, son?) Damini went to his room. Gaurav was sitting in the dark, staring at the ceiling. “Gaurav?” Damini asked again. “Yes, I am coming,” Gaurav said without looking at her. “Pata nahi kitna time lagega isko normal hone mein. Bas Dr Kulkarni se baat kar le ek baar to kuch samajh aaye ki kya hua hai” (Don’t know how much time it will take for him to become normal. Just need to talk to Dr Kulkarni once to understand what has happened), Damini talked to herself while leaving the house. Gaurav followed her to the car.
At Dr Kulkarni’s office, Gaurav was the only one who had an appointment that day. “Come, sit. How are you today, Gaurav?” Dr Kulkarni asked him. “I am good,” Gaurav replied. He was still expressionless. “Damini ji. Please sit outside. Let me talk to him. I will call you,” he told Damini to sit outside firmly. Though she didn’t want to, Damini left the room.
After 45 minutes, Dr Kulkarni called her back into the room and sent Gaurav to sit outside. “Damini ji, he is in shock. There is a possibility that he has developed PTSD, but let’s have one more session the day after tomorrow. I do not want to jump to conclusions and give him something that may make him more distant. Till then, give him this medicine, it will help.”
For the next seven days, Dr Kulkarni and Gaurav had three more sessions. Rashi and Bhimsen were also called in for joint sessions. After just a week, Gaurav was looking better. He was eating well, and it seemed as though he was on the road to recovery. However, he still didn’t talk much about the one year he was in captivity. The only thing he repeatedly mentioned was that he was kept in a dark room with no light source. He was fed only once a day, and even that wasn’t good food. He just survived somehow.
A familiar gathering
After two weeks of therapy and medication, Dr Kulkarni suggested Bhimsen throw a welcome-back party for Gaurav. “Invite all his friends and your family members. But make sure to instruct them to behave normally. No need to make a big deal about welcoming him back. Just let him be around people. Gaurav was about to join you at the office before he was taken away. Let’s aim for that to happen within two months. Keep your fingers crossed and hope Gaurav keeps up with the pace of recovery he is on,” he said to Damini and Bhimsen in the office. Gaurav was sitting outside, reading a magazine. “Okay, doctor. We will do that,” Damini said while leaving.
“Gaurav, let’s go,” Bhimsen told Gaurav, who started walking behind them like a robot. Even after two weeks, several of his habits were not back to normal, and it was expected to take a lot of time for him to be as comfortable as he used to be around people. “Gaurav, we have a party tomorrow. Do you want to invite someone? Your friends?” Damini asked Gaurav on the way back home. “Just Priyanka. It has been months since I saw her,” Gaurav said without looking up.
Bhimsen’s secretary Priyanka was Gaurav’s childhood friend. They met for the first time when Gaurav was in the 2nd grade. She had shifted to his school from Nagpur with her father, Major Suryapratap Singh Rathore, who was in the Army. After moving to Rudrapur, her father retired after three years and settled there. Later, he joined Bhimsen’s company as a manager. Priyanka’s mother passed away when she was a little girl after battling cancer. Three years ago, her father passed away in a road accident, and since then, Priyanka had been working for Bhimsen as his secretary, who treated her like a daughter.
“Okay! She has been trying to meet you for two weeks. Chalo, isi bahane tum dono mil bhi loge. Main message kar deti hun use” (Okay! She has been trying to meet you for two weeks. Okay, you both will get to meet this way. I will message her), said Damini as they reached home. “Rashi, come with me. We need to plan a party for tomorrow,” Damini called Rashi, and they went to the bedroom. Gaurav sat in the living room, and Bhimsen left for the office.
“Aunty ji… Gaurav is behaving very strangely. He is not talking to me at all. He just keeps staring. Was he like this when he came back?” Priyanka asked Damini. “He is much better now… You should have seen him before. It almost felt like he had no soul at all,” Damini looked at her with worry. “I just hope he gets better in the coming weeks. My heart breaks every time I see him,” Damini continued to express her feelings. Priyanka could only stand there in silence, knowing how losing someone feels.
“Dance?” Priyanka asked Gaurav. “Okay,” he led her to the dance floor. They slow-danced for a while. “Gaurav… can I say something?” she asked hesitantly. “Yes… go ahead,” he said without showing any interest. “You need to get yourself together. The way you are behaving is breaking your family’s heart. I know it will take time, but you need to push it a bit,” she said while being close to him. “I know…” he said and ended the dance.
Unravelling calm
The next two weeks went really well for Gaurav and his family. He started to smile and talk more to them. All of them were happier as Gaurav was getting better, and it started feeling like he was himself again. Gaurav was a good cook and often helped his mother in the kitchen. He was slowly resuming his role; however, for the time being, he had limited himself to chopping vegetables only.
“Gaurav, son… before you were taken away, there was a plan that you would join me at the office. Do you think it’s possible in the coming days?” Bhimsen asked him after coming back from the office one day. “I will go with you tomorrow… we will see how it goes. Okay?” Gaurav said without looking at him. “Perfect!” Bhimsen said happily. He thought things would be normal sooner than he expected. The next day, Gaurav went with him and spent the whole day managing different tasks. It continued for another week.
“Gaurav… do one thing. Take this suitcase back home. I will come later. It has cash. Put it in the safe. The keys are in the usual place,” Bhimsen handed over a lot of cash to him. He was planning to buy a new office the following week, so he had collected all the off-the-books money he could. “This is heavy,” Gaurav said while picking it up. “It’s a few crores. We will count once I am back,” Bhimsen wanted him to leave before it got dark. “Okay,” Gaurav left and did as his father had instructed.
That night before dinner, Gaurav was chopping vegetables while sitting on the floor in the living room, and Bhimsen was sitting on the couch. Damini was giving Bhimsen a shoulder massage, and Rashi was sitting opposite Gaurav, playing with the TV remote and changing channels. They were talking and laughing the whole time. “Bhaiya… when did you start chopping so fast? And why are you using this little knife? Aren’t you afraid it will slice your finger? Use the bigger one na!” Rashi asked curiously and kept playing with the TV remote.
“You want to know why I am using the smaller knife?” Gaurav asked with a smile on his face. “Of course!” Rashi kept the remote on the side. “Tell me…” she started looking at Gaurav with curiosity. “For this,” and then Gaurav suddenly threw the knife at Bhimsen. It was a precise hit. Bhimsen’s jugular vein got snapped. The blood rushed out of the vein and as Bhimsen’s head rolled back with anger and confusion on his face, the splash of blood hit Damini’s face and she screamed. Before they could understand what just happened, Gaurav stood up with speed, picked butcher’s knife from the knife holder sitting on the centre table and almost beheaded Damini. She fell on the floor immediately.
Rashi, who saw all this, was shocked. But she realised she had to run. She rushed towards her room upstairs but slipped and hit her head on the third stair. Within seconds, she regained consciousness and saw Gaurav sitting on her with another knife. “Bhaiya please… bhaiya noooo… don’t!!!” (Brother, please… brother no… don’t!!!) she screamed as Gaurav stabbed her multiple times. It took a minute of stabbing and suffering before she died. Gaurav was covered in the blood of his family. He sat there for a few minutes, stood up, picked up two bags full of cash and jewellery that he packed earlier and left.
The morning horror
The next morning, Sheela came and rang the bell. When no one opened the door, she used the key with her and entered only to witness the horror that prevailed in the house. She screamed and ran outside. Sheela immediately dialled SHO Singh’s number. “Saab… saab…” (Sir… sir…) she said, sobbing. “What happened?” SHO Singh asked. “Saab jaldi aajao. Damini didi… woh… khoon…” (Sir, please come quickly. Damini madam… she… blood…) and she disconnected the call. SHO Singh heard her crying profusely before the line got disconnected. “Manoj! Gaadi nikaal,” (Manoj! Get the car out,) he screamed as he ran outside.
Within minutes, he reached Bhimsen’s house. Sheela was sitting outside and crying. “Kya hua?” (What happened?) he asked. Sheela could only point towards the living room. As the police team entered, they witnessed the horror like never before in Rudrapur. “Forensic team bulao. Ghar ko seal karo. Koi bhi idhar nahi aana chahiye. Media aur logon ko door rakhna. Baricades lago,” (Call the forensic team. Seal the house. No one should come in. Keep the media and people away. Put up barricades,) SHO Singh gave instructions one after another. Within 30 minutes, the forensic team was there with additional force. The house was sealed and barricading was completed.
“CCTV lage hain na inke ghar mein to. Sab check karo. Kuch bhi miss nahi hona chahiye. Commissioner sir bhi aate hi honge. This is bad… this is bad… ek minute… Gaurav kidhar hai? Woh nahi hai na inmein? Baki kisi kamre mein?” (There are CCTVs in their house, right? Check everything. Nothing should be missed. Commissioner sir will also be arriving soon. This is bad… this is bad… one minute… where is Gaurav? He isn’t among them, is he? In any other room?) he asked his team.
“No sir, he is nowhere,” one of the constables said. “Kahin uske kidnappers ka hi plan to…” (Could it be his kidnappers’ plan…) SHO Singh was worried. “Ek kaam karo. City ke sabhi entry-exit points seal kar do. Is taraf aane jaane wale har raaste ke sabhi CCTV nikalo. Saari details mujhe sham tak chahiye,” (Do one thing. Seal all the city’s entry-exit points. Check every CCTV on all routes to and from this area. I want all the details by evening,) he instructed the team.
Commissioner Shiv Yadav arrived as he completed giving instructions to the team. “Sir!” he saluted. “What the hell happened here? And what I just heard? Gaurav is missing again? Singh… this is not happening in my city! This is unacceptable,” Commissioner Yadav said. “I understand sir. I will give you a report by tomorrow evening,” SHO Singh assured. “Okay,” Commissioner left the scene visibly worried.
Piecing the puzzle
“Sir… the CCTVs in and outside the house are all blackened. See this. Two days ago, someone in a mask came and blackened all the cameras,” Sub Inspector Govind showed the recording to SHO Singh. “This is not good… These cameras were going to be our first lead…” SHO Singh said. “Saab, teddy bear wale cameras dekhe aapne?” (Sir, did you check the teddy bear cameras?) Sheela asked. She was still sobbing. “Which ones?” SI Govind looked at her with curiosity. “When Gaurav baba came back, Damini mam placed them across the house after the doctor asked to keep an eye on him. She did not want to spook him or make him feel being watched. So, she used hidden cameras. There are three of them. One in the living room, one on the first floor and the last one in the study,” she informed the police.
SI Govind rushed to pick the camera. They were fortunately intact. “Sir, give me five minutes,” SI Govind started copying footage into his laptop. “Sir! Please look at this… this is… this is horrible…” SI turned the laptop towards SHO Singh. Police and Sheela saw what happened on the last night. How Gaurav suddenly killed his father followed by his mother and sister. The brutality of the crime and emotionless Gaurav covered in his family’s blood was straight out of a horror movie.
This changed the case completely. SHO Singh called his team and asked them to look for Gaurav in every footage they found. He then called Commissioner Yadav. “Sir, Gaurav killed them…” he informed Commissioner Yadav. “What?! What are you saying? Are you sure?” he asked. “Yes, sir. I have sent you a clip on your phone. Please check it,” SHO Singh sent the whole recording of the murders. “This is unbelievable. Singh, make sure this does not go out. We have to investigate it further before giving details to the press,” Commissioner instructed Singh. “Yes sir… I understand,” Singh said before disconnecting the call.
Singh sat on a chair outside the house and closed his eyes. It was horrifying for him to look for Gaurav, the young man who was missing for a year and victim, but turned into a criminal in a few minutes. “There has to be a reason. What the hell happened during the year he was missing? I have to find out…” SHO Singh mumbled while standing up. “Sheela, ek kaam karo. Yeh paas hi hai na ghar tumhara? Tum abhi ghar jao. Zaroorat padi to main bula lunga,” (Sheela, do one thing. Your house is nearby, right? You go home now. I’ll call you if needed,) SHO Singh sent Sheela home and came back to the office.
The next day, SHO Singh formed three teams and all of them started scanning CCTV footage from across the paths that Gaurav could have taken. They noticed that an SUV was taking the street to Bhimsen’s house repeatedly before the incident. In one of the CCTV footages, they finally noticed Gaurav sitting in the front seat of the SUV. They had a lead to work with. SHO sent details of the SUV to nearby police stations and the investigation continued.
As the investigation progressed, subtle details about Gaurav’s behaviour began to surface, unsettling those who had hoped for a simple resolution. Dr Kulkarni, who had been treating Gaurav, noted signs of deep psychological manipulation, such as his tendency to flinch at sudden noises and his habit of mumbling under his breath as if rehearsing something. The words that slipped through in these moments were chilling—fragments of chants and phrases in a language unfamiliar to the family but eerily similar to the scriptures used in certain unorthodox sects. Dr Kulkarni reported these observations to SHO Singh, who began piecing together a disturbing possibility: Gaurav wasn’t merely a victim of kidnapping; he had been systematically reprogrammed, his identity and memories twisted by those who held him captive.
SHO Singh held a press conference and released some information about the case. He also informed that Gaurav was the prime suspect, and the police believed that several other people were involved.
Unveiling the past
“Singh sir… How are you?” Journalist Nisha entered SHO’s office as she greeted him. Nisha was a seasoned journalist who was born and brought up in Rudrapur. Though she was from a small city, she gained popularity very quickly as an investigative journalist. “Not today, Nisha. I am busy,” SHO did not bother to look at her. “Sir, just give me 5 minutes. It’s about Bhimsen’s family,” she said. SHO looked at her, “Tell me.”
“Sir, I was looking at the case details and while searching if there has been any similar case in the past, I came across 15 cases that have happened in the last two months in different parts of the country. All of them happened in small cities like ours and all the families were well off like Bhimsen’s,” she showed the file to SHO Singh.
“Can I have a copy of this?” SHO asked. “This is for you sir. I will call you later. Please look into it. Keep this pen drive too. I have gathered some links etc. You will find them in the pendrive,” she handed over everything to SHO Singh and left. “This will be your exclusive, I promise!” SHO almost shouted.
SHO Singh started making calls to the police stations mentioned in the file and shared the details with them. In the next few hours, a pattern was formed. He immediately tagged the case to the Central Home Ministry. In just two hours, he received a call from the ministry. SHO Singh was informed that someone from the ministry would contact him the next morning.
The next day, the Home Ministry handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In 24 hours, all the files were transferred to the central agency from the police stations’ list SHO provided. All the state governments were informed to look out for such cases. For the next five days, CBI got information about 84 similar cases making the total to 100. Police in-charges involved in preliminary investigation were called on probation by the ministry to work on the case. Till date, the media and the people of the country were unaware what was happening behind the curtains.
Several teams were formed and in-depth investigation took place with the help of local police at every location. Finally after two months of investigation, CBI zeroed down on the real culprits.
Breaking the silence
On 5th July 2023, police from six states, officials from CBI, paramilitary personnel and additional local police officials raided Atmanam Ashram located 40 KMs away from Gurugram. The chief and all the disciples were arrested by the CBI. The raid continued for almost a week and made headlines. The country was in shock as Atmanam Ashram was known for its calmness. As no outsiders were allowed, only the chief priest of the Ashram, Baba Dhyanendra would go outside to give pravachan. Till the end of the raid, the information about the cases was not made public to the media.
During the search, CBI recovered around 2,400 KG of gold, 4,400 KG of silver, over 1,500 crores in cash and much more from the Ashram. Dhyanendra, whose real name was Chotelal, was taken to CBI headquarters for questioning. All of the disciples were shifted to three different locations for questioning.
Behind closed doors
Atmanam Ashram was established by the great-grandfather of Chotelal, Kunwarlal, in 1942. After Kunwarlal, his son Ramitdas took over the Ashram followed by his son Hemdas and then Chotelal aka Baba Dhyanendra. Since the beginning, Kunwarlal made it a rule in the Ashram that no one will get married if he or she wants to become a disciple. He established a new Panth and made the disciples follow a made-up God Sant Dhurantvir. According to Kunwarlal, Dhuranvir was a prophet of God and instructed him to establish a place where his followers could stay.
As there was a condition that the disciples could not be married or marry in the future, the footfall was very low. In 1944, Kunwarlal, with faithful disciples, kidnapped ten young men and women from well-off families living in nearby areas. They kept them at the Ashram in dark rooms and brainwashed them to believe in so-called God Sant Dhurantvir. After one year, they were sent back home with instructions to kill their families and come back with the money and precious metals that their families possessed.
It was a success. Kunwarlal became obsessed with the money and power that he felt. After every five years, he started repeating the process and told his son about it. After him, Ramitdas continued the cycle. Every five years, ten people would get kidnapped. They would return after one year and kill their families. As the families were well-off but not filthy rich and the victim families were spread across the country, no one found the connection.
In 1972, one journalist, Kiran Mathur, managed to establish the connection between the murders as one of the kidnapped victims was from his family. When he came back and the time came to kill the family, his hands froze. The family sat down and talked about it. Kiran investigated the case and found a few cases from 1964 where similar murders happened. However, before he could inform the police or get the report published, his family was killed by disciples of Ramitdas.
During interrogation, Chotelal told the investigating officers that some politicians and police officers were involved in the murders and were heavily paid for their participation. With time, kidnapping only ten young people was not enough and slowly the number kept increasing. In February 2022, it was the first time they kidnapped 100 people from across the country, which eventually turned into their biggest mistake.
As the raid drew to a close, SHO Singh stood amid the chaos of evidence bags and the overwhelming presence of law enforcement, his mind reeling from the sheer brutality uncovered at the Ashram. For a seasoned officer who had seen his share of crimes, this was different—it was not just a case of murder but a systematic slaughter of families, each loss a ripple in the quiet lives of small towns. Singh couldn’t shake off the image of Gaurav’s blank stare as he watched the footage of the young man killing his family, wondering if somewhere, buried deep under the indoctrination and manipulation, there still existed the boy who loved helping his mother in the garden. Singh felt a gnawing guilt, a sense of having failed Gaurav and countless others, his resolve hardening with each passing moment to bring every last perpetrator to justice, no matter how high the corruption reached.
Nisha was the first journalist to uncover the full, chilling details for her exclusive. On 27th July 2023, India and the world were stunned by the revelation that 780 families had been brutally murdered over the span of 80 years. It was exposed that every disciple at Atmanam Ashram was complicit, each having cold-bloodedly killed their own family.
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