By Sumesh Rajan | October 4, 2026
Patna, Bihar, INDIA: A 26-year-old man allegedly travelled nearly 2,000 km from Surat to his native village in Bihar’s Samastipur district and killed his sleeping father with an axe after drawing inspiration from the Bollywood crime thriller Drishyam, police said.
The accused, identified as Shiv Shankar Sahni, had allegedly kept his mobile phone switched off during the journey in an attempt to conceal his movements. However, a call to his wife after the murder placed his phone near the crime scene and eventually helped investigators unravel the alleged plan.
Samastipur police said they arrested Shiv Shankar in Surat on October 1 in connection with the July 26 murder of his father, Raghuveer Sahni, 50, a resident of Darwa village under Halai police station limits. Police announced the breakthrough on October 2.
According to police, Raghuveer was sleeping outside his house on the night of July 26 when he was attacked with an axe. He suffered multiple blows to the head and died from his injuries. The weapon, which investigators said had been taken from inside the house, was found at the scene.
The circumstances led police to suspect that the attacker may have been familiar with the victim and his house.
Journey from Surat
Police said Shiv Shankar was living and working in Surat with his wife and had a strained relationship with his father. Investigators are examining family disputes and a disagreement over land as possible motives for the killing.
According to Patori SDPO B.K. Medhavi, Shiv Shankar allegedly planned the murder after watching the Ajay Devgn-starrer Drishyam, in which the protagonist attempts to mislead investigators by manipulating the timeline surrounding a crime.
Police said Shiv Shankar switched off his mobile phone before leaving Surat, apparently to avoid creating a digital trail.
He allegedly travelled by train to Patna, proceeded to Hajipur and then reached Patori railway station at around 8 pm. From Patori, he took an e-rickshaw to Jorpura Chowk before walking nearly four kilometres through fields towards his village, police said.
He allegedly reached his house around midnight. Finding the front door locked, he entered through the rear of the house.
Investigators said Shiv Shankar then took an axe from a room and allegedly attacked his father while he was asleep outside the house. He left the weapon behind and fled.
Police said he subsequently made his way towards the railway network via Lagunia and Patori, travelled to Patna and began his return journey to Surat.
One phone call exposes trail
The alleged attempt to conceal his movements began to unravel when Shiv Shankar switched on his mobile phone and spoke to his wife.
Investigators examining his call detail records found that his phone had connected to a mobile tower in the Patori area around the time of the murder. The device was switched off again shortly afterwards and resurfaced in Surat about 36 hours later, police said.
His absence from his father’s funeral further raised investigators’ suspicions.
Police subsequently traced Shiv Shankar to Surat and arrested him on October 1.
During interrogation, Shiv Shankar allegedly admitted his involvement and disclosed details of his journey and the killing, according to police.
Investigators said he had frequent disputes with his father, while a disagreement involving family land is also being examined as a possible motive. Police said Shiv Shankar allegedly wanted to sell a portion of land but had been unable to do so.
A forensic science laboratory team examined the crime scene following the murder, while the victim’s body was sent for post-mortem examination.
Shiv Shankar was subsequently sent to jail as police continued their investigation into the case.
(Drishyam is a gripping crime thriller about an ordinary family man who goes to extreme lengths to protect his loved ones after a sudden, accidental tragedy. To save his daughter from prison, the father—a movie-obsessed cable operator—meticulously constructs a flawless, airtight alibi for his entire family using pre-planned ticket stubs, restaurant bills, and religious trip receipts.)
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