2009 chain-snatching murder turns out to be contract killing

By Sumesh Rajan | June 12, 2025

Mumbai, Maharashtra, INDIA: What began as a tragic case of a fatal chain-snatching attempt during a morning walk in Mumbai took a shocking turn, unraveling a meticulously planned contract killing orchestrated by the victim’s own husband.

The murder of 37-year-old Beena Dedhia on October 27, 2009, initially sparked public outrage in Mumbai, a city already grappling with a surge in chain-snatching incidents. Her husband, Jiten Dedhia, a local grocery store owner, had told police that two unidentified men on a motorcycle had tried to snatch Beena’s chain on G D Ambedkar Marg in Kalachowkie and fatally stabbed her when she resisted. He claimed he was injured while attempting to save her.

With public pressure mounting, the Mumbai Police launched an aggressive investigation, detaining nearly 500 individuals with past records related to chain-snatching crimes. But inconsistencies in Jiten’s version of events began to surface. Forensic experts noted that the wounds on his hands were inconsistent with those typically sustained while fending off a knife attack, his injuries were on the back of his hands rather than the palms.

The turning point came through mobile phone analysis. Investigators examined call detail records of all numbers active in the vicinity between 5 and 6 am on the day of the murder. One number drew particular attention, its signal was traced to a different state the day after the crime. That lead, combined with evidence of frequent communication between Jiten and a few other suspects, shifted the direction of the investigation.

By December 2009, police concluded that Jiten was the mastermind behind his wife’s murder. According to investigators, Jiten was allegedly engaged in an extramarital affair with a female relative and wanted to dissolve his marriage. When Beena refused to grant a divorce, he reportedly conspired to have her killed.

Authorities said Jiten enlisted the help of a mutual acquaintance who introduced him to two men -- Hasruddin Malik and Mohammed Nazim Khan -- whom he allegedly hired to carry out the killing. On the morning of October 27, 2009, the assailants attacked Beena during the couple’s walk. However, in a chilling detail revealed by the police, Jiten allegedly called the attackers back after the initial assault and demanded they ensure her death, threatening to expose them if she survived. They then returned to stab Beena in the abdomen, killing her on the spot.

To support the chain-snatching cover story, Jiten is said to have instructed the attackers to slash his hands and steal his wallet and phone.

Investigators later recovered critical evidence, including call records between Jiten and the accused, a photograph of Beena allegedly handed to the killers for identification, and the weapon used in the murder.

In 2016, a sessions court in Mumbai found Jiten, Malik, and Khan guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The female relative initially named in the case was later discharged due to lack of sufficient evidence.

What seemed to be a random act of urban violence was, in fact, a cold-blooded conspiracy rooted in betrayal and premeditated intent, one that stunned the city and remains a stark reminder of the complexities behind many domestic crimes.