Inspired By Crime Shows, Bihar Woman Kills Daughter & Packs Body In Suitcase

The body of a three-year-old girl was found in a red suitcase in Bihar's Muzzafarpur. The girl's mother killed her by slitting her throat and then packed her body in a suitcase after fetching the idea from a crime show The mother, Kajal, was in an extramarital affair for two years and wanted to live with her boyfriend. However, when her boyfriend refused to accept her daughter, she killed her and moved in with her boyfriend. Kajal, who has been arrested, confessed that the idea of the crime came after watching a crime show on TV. 

As per the reports, Kajal was a regular viewer of the show Crime Patrol. From one of its episodes, she got the idea of killing her daughter and stuffing her body in a suitcase. The body of the girl in a suitcase was found on August 14 in a residential neighbourhood in Muzaffarpur's Minapur. 

Police investigation and arrest of the mother

The body of the girl sent shockwaves in the locality and the police formed a Special Investigation Team to find the murderer. The forensic team came to the family house and found traces of blood in the sink and on the terrace. The father filed an FIR against his wife. The father, Kajal's husband, said that the latter called her on the day of the incident saying she was visiting her aunt's house. 

The police began tracing Kajal by tracing her mobile number and even conducting raids. Finally, Kajal was found at her boyfriend's house. She was arrested and the investigation began. 

What did Kajal confess?

City Police Chief Awadhesh Dixittold the media, "She wanted to take her daughter along, but the boyfriend did not want this. The woman was confused. Eventually, she slit her daughter's throat with a knife. She then stuffed the body in a red trolley bag and dumped it in the bushes next to their home." 

The officer added that Kajal had tried to clean the blood in the sink and the terrace but the forensic team still managed to find traces of blood. Officer Dixit said, "She committed the murder alone. She has said that she used to watch Crime Patrol and got the idea to kill her daughter and stuff the body in a suitcase from some episodes of the TV show."

The boyfriend has also been detained with police saying that he might have an involvement in the crime. The officer said, "We have found anything suggesting the boyfriend's role in the killing, so we have not detained him. She has also said she committed the crime after being influenced by Crime Patrol and that her boyfriend did not talk her into doing it."

Why are crime shows becoming a medium to learn ideas for crime?

This is not the first time that a person has committed a crime borrowing tricks from crime shows on TV. The crime shows aimed at alerting the public against crime are now being used as a medium to find ideas to commit crime. I remember the coverage of the Nirbhaya gangrape on Crime Patrol. It really helped me understand what exactly happened. And this is what crime shows aim to do. They want to show the crimes that have happened so that people can be alert and protect themselves. 

However, today crime shows are increasingly becoming the medium of committing crime. Rather than getting alert, people are borrowing ideas to commit more crimes. 

But do crime shows really encourage crime? Do crime shows show the means of crime to encourage murderers to commit crimes? If these are true, why are we watching crime shows?

It is the result of the sensationalisation of such shows that is giving the wrong perspective to people. People have started seeing crime shows as a medium to learn new ways to commit crimes. But, as we all know, any crime depicted in crime shows always ends in retribution. Why don't people see that?  

The views expressed are the author's own.