On August 27, 2022, renowned Gujarati folk singer Vaishali Balsara left home, telling her husband she'd return shortly. When she didn't return and her phone was unreachable, her worried husband Hitesh filed a missing person's report. The next day, police discovered a blue car near an abandoned diamond factory in Valsad's outskirts. Inside, they found 34-year-old Vaishali's lifeless body on the back seat. Though there were no visible wounds, she had stopped breathing. Investigations revealed this wasn't a random crime – someone close to her had orchestrated her murder for ₹25 lakhs. Postmortem revealed Vaishali died by strangulation hours after leaving home. Eight police teams were formed to investigate the murder. Investigation also conducted on family dispute angle
The investigation revealed that Vaishali married Hitesh in 2011. The couple had a daughter from this marriage, but before this Hitesh was already married once. He had a daughter from his previous marriage as well. Police examined footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras Police traced Vaishali's final movements through footage from over 100 CCTV cameras across the city. A crucial breakthrough came when footage showed Vaishali with her close friend Babita Kaushik. Further investigation revealed Babita's mobile location was near the network tower where Vaishali's body was discovered, raising police suspicions. Despite Babita being 8 months pregnant, police needed to question her. They proceeded cautiously with medical supervision, balancing humanitarian concerns with investigative necessities. Police brought doctors to interrogate Babita at her home. Though initially hesitant, she agreed to cooperate under medical supervision. When shown fake suspect photos, Babita fell for the police's trap by falsely identifying someone, exposing her deception. Under subsequent interrogation by female officers, she finally confessed to her involvement in Vaishali's murder. What began as friendship turned deadly over money. Babita, struggling financially, borrowed repeatedly from her successful friend Vaishali, accumulating a ₹25 lakh debt. Under mounting pressure to repay and growing interest, Babita resorted to stalling tactics. When Vaishali issued a final warning, Babita chose murder over repayment. Hired 2 Contract Killers Through Facebook
Babita hired two contract killers through Facebook for ₹8 lakhs to execute her plan. On August 27, she lured Vaishali to an abandoned diamond factory under the pretense of debt repayment. While Babita distracted Vaishali in conversation, the killers strangled her. They abandoned her car near Pardi river. The murder shocked Vaishali's husband, who was unaware of the ₹25 lakh loan. Police later caught one killer, while the other remains at large.Original Article