Police in Madhya Pradesh have recovered skeletal remains from a septic tank six months after a 22-year-old man was reported missing.
Prince Balmiki, from Sagar district, disappeared from Deoria on August 20, 2025. His wife filed a missing person’s report the same day. Although officers carried out initial enquiries, they failed to uncover any substantial leads and the investigation was eventually put on hold, NDTV reported.
Prince’s relatives, however, consistently maintained that his disappearance was suspicious and continued urging police to pursue the case.
The investigation took a decisive turn when officers excavated a septic tank located behind the home of the prime suspect. During the search, they recovered a skull and other bone fragments believed to be Prince’s remains.
The main accused, identified as Shoaib, was apprehended in Narsinghpur following mobile phone tracking and technical surveillance. During questioning, he allegedly admitted to drugging Prince and killing him over an alleged affair involving Prince’s wife, Tulsi. Investigators described the crime as deliberate and carefully planned.
According to police, Shoaib and Tulsi had been in a relationship prior to her marriage. It is alleged that Shoaib befriended Prince while he was living in Deori and gradually introduced him to smack, to which Shoaib himself was addicted. Officers claim that Shoaib continued to meet Tulsi in secret, and matters escalated after Prince discovered the relationship.
Police allege that on the day Prince went missing, Shoaib drugged him before carrying out the murder. The body was allegedly placed in a septic tank behind Shoaib’s house and concealed with rubbish. Investigators further claim that Shoaib attempted to speed up decomposition by sprinkling salt over the remains for several weeks.
After the incident, Shoaib is said to have fled to Gujarat with Tulsi, where they were reportedly living together. Videos of the pair later circulated and reached Prince’s family, deepening their suspicions. Acting on information provided by the family and technical evidence, police tracked Shoaib to Narsinghpur and arrested him.
Officers subsequently returned to the suspected burial site with Shoaib and carried out the excavation that led to the recovery of skeletal remains. The remains have been sent for DNA testing to establish their identity.
Speaking to NDTV, police said Shoaib confessed to drugging and killing Prince and disposing of the body in the septic tank.
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Prince’s brother said the family had never accepted that he had simply vanished. "We never accepted that he simply went missing. We kept pressing for an investigation," he said.