1992 Vatva murder case timeline: DNA confirmation leads to arrests (May 2026)

Following the DNA confirmation, two persons — Shamshuddin Khedawala (61) and his elder brother Iqbal Khedawala (63) — were arrested by Ahmedabad crime branch. The accused’s family had initially claimed Shamshuddin was dead, but they subsequently admitted he was alive, intensifying the investigation. The FIR names the conspiracy and murder linked to the 1992 case.

The DNA report, received on Friday, May 8, 2026, established that the skeletal remains recovered at Vatva belonged to Farzana Dosu Radhanpuri. DNA samples from Farzana’s sister Mehbooba were used for the comparison, marking a breakthrough in the 1992 case.

Excavation using heavy machinery, conducted in the presence of forensic teams, recovered skeletal remains including bones and teeth from a depth of about 18 to 20 feet. The remains were sent for forensic examination to determine identity and cause of death.

The case, initially a missing person inquiry, did not progress for years until family members reported repeated sightings of the deceased. They approached individuals offering occult remedies, and information emerged that a woman had been killed and her body concealed inside the property. Locals described the Qutubnagar house as abandoned and haunted, prompting renewed scrutiny.

The case was registered as a missing person complaint in 1992 and later categorized under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), and 120B (criminal conspiracy). It alleges that Farzana Dosu Radhanpuri was murdered by her husband Shamshuddin Khedawala, with his elder brother Iqbal Khedawala and co-accused Abdul Karim and Shaliyabibi Pathan implicated in a pre-planned conspiracy. The body was purportedly disposed of in a concealed structure at a residential property in Qutubnagar, Vatva, with efforts to destroy evidence.