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Fake film offer turns into horror story: Actress Meenakshi Thapa’s murder case
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Bollywood aspiring actress Meenakshi Thapa was kidnapped and murdered in 2012 after she was allegedly lured with a fake film opportunity by two junior artistes she had met on a movie set. The 26-year-old actress, who had moved to Mumbai dreaming of building a career in films, became the victim of a shocking crime that exposed how vulnerable newcomers in the entertainment industry can be.
Thapa, originally from Dehradun in Uttarakhand, had already appeared in the psychological thriller 404 and was also associated with Madhur Bhandarkar’s film Heroine, starring Kareena Kapoor. It was reportedly on the sets of Heroine that she met junior artistes Amit Jaiswal and Preeti Surin, who later became accused in her murder case.
According to police investigations and court records, Jaiswal and Surin learned about Thapa’s family background and allegedly assumed that her family was financially well-off. Based on that belief, they planned to kidnap her and demand ransom.
The accused allegedly promised Thapa a role in a film being made in Uttar Pradesh. Trusting the offer, she travelled with them to Prayagraj on March 13, 2012. After reaching there, her communication with her family stopped, raising concerns among her relatives.
A few days later, on March 17, Thapa’s family received a message from an unknown number demanding a ransom of Rs 15 lakh. The message also contained threats that she would be forced into pornography if the money was not paid. The family managed to deposit around Rs 60,000 into her bank account, but it could not save her.
Investigators later alleged that after failing to receive the ransom amount, Jaiswal and Surin killed Thapa. Police claimed that her body was disposed of near Surin’s family home, while her head was allegedly thrown away during a journey towards Lucknow and was never recovered.
The investigation reportedly gained momentum after the accused continued using Thapa’s SIM card and attempted to withdraw money using her debit card. Tracking phone records and electronic evidence, police arrested Amit Jaiswal and Preeti Surin near an ATM in Mumbai’s Bandra area on April 14, 2012. Police said Thapa’s SIM card and debit card were recovered from them.
Two days later, on April 16, investigators recovered her remains from a septic tank.
After a trial lasting nearly six years, a Mumbai court on May 9, 2018, convicted Jaiswal and Surin for murder and kidnapping for ransom. Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam had sought the death penalty, describing the crime as one of the “rarest of rare” cases, but the court sentenced both accused to life imprisonment.
Thapa’s death remains one of Bollywood’s most disturbing criminal cases, highlighting the risks faced by struggling actors who enter the industry in search of opportunities and the dangers of falling victim to false promises.
-HIS
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
