Australia cricketer molestation accused's jail fight cracks 11-year-old murder case

For 11 years, the murder of a 17-year-old boy in Indore remained a mystery. His family was left waiting for answers after he was killed over a gold locket, while police pursued leads that repeatedly went cold.Now, the case has finally seen a breakthrough. The man who was arrested last year for molesting an Australian female cricketer has emerged as the mastermind of the 11-year-old murder of the teen, Krishna. The breakthrough came from an unexpected place, a jail cell. After his arrest last year, accused Aqeel, alias Nitra, got into an argument with a fellow inmate. During the altercation, he claimed to have killed several people and mentioned Krishna's name.After being released on bail, the inmate passed the information to a police informant, reviving the investigation into Krishna's murder. Police subsequently arrested Aqeel and his associate Arif and questioned them. During interrogation, the two confessed to the murder. Police said a third accused, Parvez, was also involved in the crime but has since died.In April 2015, Krishna's body was found near a bypass in Indore. Police later learnt that he had been targeted after the accused spotted the gold locket around his neck. According to police, the three accused offered Krishna a lift on a bike and took him to a deserted field near the Khajrana bypass. They first intoxicated him before robbing him of his gold locket, silver chain, pendant and cash.When Krishna resisted, Aqeel stabbed him four times in the neck, killing him.The accused then tried to destroy evidence by setting the bike and other items on fire before fleeing the spot.Police said Aqeel faces 14 criminal cases, including murder and robbery, while Arif faces three serious criminal charges. Efforts are now underway to recover the stolen jewellery and other evidence linked to the crime, police added.During the initial investigation 11 years ago, police had questioned dozens of people, including individuals identified by Krishna's family as possible suspects due to alleged disputes with them. However, the investigation failed to establish the identity of the actual killers.More than a decade later, a confession made inside a jail cell has brought the long-pending murder case back into focus and led investigators to the killers.- Ends(With inputs from Dharmendra Sahu in Indore)Published On: Aug 14, 2026 07:50 IST