Loneliness, Greed, and a Fake Wedding: How a Viral Video Led Police to Unravel a Chilling Murder Plot in Kushinagar

It took almost a month of patient investigation, digital tracking, and inter-state coordination for the police in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district to solve a sensational murder case that began with a viral video and ended with three arrests and the recovery of a brutally murdered man’s body.

 

The case revolves around the tragic killing of 45-year-old Inder Dev Tiwari, a resident of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

His body was found dumped in the bushes in the Hata area of Kushinagar on June 6. He had suffered multiple deep injuries inflicted with a sharp-edged weapon, and for days, his identity remained a mystery.

However, a video circulating on social media turned out to be the key that eventually cracked the case wide open.

The Viral Video and the Deceptive Plan

The turning point came when the police came across a video of a man — later identified as Inder Dev Tiwari — speaking emotionally during a spiritual discourse.

In the clip, he spoke candidly about his loneliness, the pain of not having a wife, and mentioned the property he owned, including 18 acres of agricultural land.

This video, originally recorded during a religious event, had gone viral and caught the attention of three individuals with sinister motives.

The accused — Sahiba Bano, her friend Kaushal Kumar, and their associate Samsuddin Ansari — were all in their twenties. Seeing the video, they allegedly hatched a plan to deceive Tiwari by exploiting his emotional vulnerability and desire for companionship.

The idea was to lure him into a fake marriage, gain his trust, and then murder him to acquire his property and valuables.

The Execution of the Trap

As per the detailed account provided by Kushinagar Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar Mishra, the plot was set in motion in mid-May. Kaushal Kumar traveled to Jabalpur on May 16, using the alias “Sandeep Tiwari.”

There, he befriended Inder and introduced him, over the phone, to Sahiba Bano, who was pretending to be Kaushal’s sister “Khushi,” a woman interested in marrying Inder.

Over the following days, Sahiba, in her fake identity, began regular conversations with Inder, emotionally manipulating him and eventually convincing him to travel to Gorakhpur to meet her in person.

Tiwari, hopeful and unaware of the trap, left Jabalpur alone and reached Gorakhpur on June 3.

 

He was received by Kaushal, who took him to a rented room where Sahiba was staying. The three stayed there together for two days.

During this time, as part of their elaborate deception, they made Inder sign documents — under the pretext of formalising arrangements for the marriage — which falsely stated that upon his death, all his property would be transferred to Sahiba (as “Khushi”) and Kaushal (as “Sandeep”).

 

A Fake Wedding, Sleeping Pills, and Murder

On June 5, the trio took Inder to a hotel in the Kushinagar district. There, they staged a fake wedding ceremony, complete with rituals, to further gain his confidence.

After the event, they served him food laced with sleeping pills. Once Inder was unconscious, they transported him by car to a secluded area in Hata, Kushinagar, where they brutally stabbed him to death.

Following the murder, they looted his belongings — including jewellery and cash he had brought for the wedding — and disposed of his body in nearby bushes before fleeing the scene.

The Investigation Begins

The murder might have remained unsolved had it not been for the persistent efforts of the Kushinagar police. With no identification on the body, police initially circulated images of the deceased across social media and local channels, hoping someone would come forward.

Around the same time, Tiwari’s family in Jabalpur filed a missing person’s report after he stopped responding to calls. Inder had told his brother he was travelling to Gorakhpur to marry a woman, but when they lost contact with him, concern grew.

Madhya Pradesh police, upon seeing the photographs of the unclaimed body from Uttar Pradesh, contacted the Kushinagar police.

A team from Kushinagar visited Jabalpur, and with the help of family members, the body was formally identified as that of Inder Dev Tiwari.

Tracing the Accused

Investigators then began examining the call detail records from Inder’s phone and discovered a number he had been in regular contact with shortly before his disappearance.

That number led them to Sahiba Bano. Her arrest proved to be a breakthrough in the case.

During questioning, Sahiba confessed and revealed the roles of her accomplices. Acting swiftly on her information, the police arrested Kaushal Kumar and Samsuddin Ansari. The trio confessed to the entire plot, from the fake identities to the staged wedding and the brutal murder.

The police also recovered vital pieces of evidence, including the car used to transport the victim, his mobile phone, Aadhaar card, ATM cards, land ownership documents, and the jewellery he had purchased for the wedding. These findings further corroborated the narrative that had unfolded through their investigation.

A Case of Trust Betrayed

The murder of Inder Dev Tiwari is a grim reminder of how vulnerable individuals can fall prey to manipulation and deceit, especially when their personal lives are exploited for financial gain.

A man who simply wanted companionship was ultimately betrayed, robbed, and murdered in cold blood by those who feigned affection.

As police prepare the charge sheet and further proceedings continue, the case has sparked conversations around the dark side of viral content, digital exploitation, and the rising trend of crime fueled by greed and social media visibility.

The tragic story of Inder Tiwari stands as a chilling example of how calculated deceit can lead to deadly consequences.