5 Indian True Crime Shows On OTT That Will Give You Chills

Hindi true crime shows are all the rage today, as the genre climbs in popularity owing to its extensive platforming on OTT. It is no secret that we, as an audience, enjoy consuming stories that stir voyeuristic tendencies or the thrill of mystery in us. Expert opinion, as well as pop culture forums, have ascertained that there is nothing wrong or unethical about these behaviours.

Be it in the news or in fictional representations, the genre of crime has long held a fascinating quality for those who are not the targets. While some of us race the investigators to the solution while watching true crime shows, others find a healthy adrenaline rush in watching crime unfold in controlled settings.

What makes true crime rank over fictional crime for many viewers is that the reference points already exist for us, through news or other media. So watching them in detail is that much more interesting and revelatory. Hindi content, with the rise of digital platforms, has amped up its game to bring forward many such stories that are cemented in public memory.

These Hindi True Crime Shows Will Have You Hooked:

1. Delhi Crime 

This Shefali Shah-starrer rocked the world as hard as the incident it is based on did back in 2012. The Delhi gangrape was a significant event in India's recent history, televised for Netflix in 2019. A single season and seven episodes long, the show is set in the aftermath of the crime with DCP Vartika Chaturvedi leading the investigation to find those accused of the woman's death.

Delhi Crime won resounding universal acclaim, also becoming the first Indian show to pick the Outstanding Drama Series award at the Emmys in 2020.

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2. House of Secrets

This horrific case from 2018 was still fresh in the memory of Delhiites when a Netflix series on it renewed its publicity last year. In North Delhi's Burari, a family of eleven died in their house - ten were found hanging while one appeared to have been strangled. The deaths were ruled by mass suicide, with investigations revealing a sinister background to it.

House of Secrets showed the alleged supernatural possession of one family member which led to the death of his whole family. Using real footage, the series recounts both the incidents of the case as well as the sensational reaction it evoked at the time.

3. Mumbai Diaries 26/11

Based on the 2008 Mumbai attacks, this series on Amazon Prime draws attention to the medical frontline on the fateful night of November 26. As terrorism fires through the city, Mumbai Diaries 26/11 takes us through activity buzzing at a hospital as doctors and staff rush to cope with the burgeoning casualties.

Starring names like &t=231s">Konkona Sen Sharma and Mohit Raina, the series revisits the significant sites from that fateful night, including the Taj hotel, Gateway of India and Leopold Cafe.

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4. Behind Closed Doors

So much has been said and filmed on the tragic Aarushi Talwar murder case from 2008 and yet, it seems the conversation around it just never dies down. It remains one of the most prominent mysteries in India's modern consciousness. A teen girl and a domestic helper at her house in Noida were found dead, with the girl's parents becoming prime suspects.

The Talwars were imprisoned in what many believed, and still do, were murky circumstances. HBO's two-part documentary Behind Closed Doors, released in 2019, explores the double murder with all its inconsistencies and allegations of a botched-up investigation.

5. Crime Stories: India Detectives

Through four important crime cases, Crime Stories: India Detectives on Netflix traces the work of the Bengaluru police. The highlight of the series is the way it seeks the human element, sifting through the bare-boned facts of the matter. The viewer is taken into the investigative journey with some honest confessions from officers.

This one is as much about the solve of the cases as it is about the people in front of and behind the mechanisms of it. Without being too graphic, the visuals stand out as an understated ode to the lives of men and women in uniform.