A forest officer from Gujarat, arrested for murdering his wife and two children and burying their bodies in a pit near his home in Bhavnagar, had been in an affair with a colleague for nearly four years, NDTV reported.
Police identified the accused as 39-year-old Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Shailesh Khambhla. He became acquainted with a woman forest staffer in 2022, and their association later turned into an affair. However, investigators say it is still unclear whether the woman played any role in the murders.
As per the report, officials confirmed that the woman has been questioned as part of the investigation.
Khambhla was recently posted in Bhavnagar, while his wife Nayana (40), daughter Pritha (13) and son Bhavya (9) continued to live in Surat. The family had travelled to Bhavnagar for a short visit but disappeared soon after, raising concern among relatives and triggering an intensive search.
On November 5, the accused filed a police complaint claiming that his security guard had seen his wife and children leave the house in an auto-rickshaw while he was away. The guard, however, dismissed the statement. Police said Khambhla’s “unusual behaviour” during questioning and his lack of worry about his missing family heightened suspicion.
A preliminary probe into Khambhla’s phone records revealed frequent contact with a junior officer, Girish Vania. Investigators found that Khambhla had asked Vania to dig two pits behind his residence on November 2, supposedly for disposing of garbage. Four days later, he instructed Vania to arrange a dumper truck to fill the pits, claiming a nilgai had fallen in and needed to be covered.
On November 16, police recovered the bodies of Khambhla’s wife and children from the same pits. The forest officer was subsequently taken into custody.
During interrogation, Khambhla confessed to the murders, describing them as premeditated. He had also sent a text message from his wife’s phone to his own number after the killings, stating that she was leaving to live with another person. He then switched the phone to airplane mode.
Investigators believe a marital dispute was the immediate trigger for the murders. According to officials, the victims were smothered with a pillow.
Police said Khambhla claimed his wife did not want to continue living with his parents in Surat and insisted that the family relocate to Bhavnagar — a demand he refused.
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