Daijiworld Media Network - Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar, Nov 21: In a chilling revelation that has left Gujarat stunned, investigators have found that Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Shailesh Khambhla, arrested for murdering his wife and two young children, had been involved in a four-year-long extra-marital affair with a colleague — a detail now emerging as a crucial link in the gruesome case.
According to police sources, Khambhla, 39, befriended a woman forest worker in 2022, and their relationship soon turned into an affair. While officers have questioned the woman, her role in the crime remains unclear.
Khambhla’s family — his wife Nayana (40), daughter Pritha (13) and son Bhavya (9) — lived in Surat and had travelled to Bhavnagar recently for a short vacation. Soon after their arrival, they went missing, sparking anxiety among relatives and prompting a large-scale search operation.
On November 5, Khambhla attempted to mislead investigators by claiming that a security guard had seen his wife and children leaving in an auto-rickshaw. But the guard flatly denied the claim. Police said the officer’s “odd behaviour”, inconsistent statements, and lack of concern for his missing family immediately raised red flags.
Call record analysis deepened the suspicion. Investigators found Khambhla had been frequently contacting a junior colleague, Girish Vania, whom he had asked to dig two pits behind his quarters on November 2 under the pretext of needing to dispose of garbage. Four days later, he instructed Vania to send a dumper truck to fill the trenches, claiming that a nilgai had fallen into one of them — a story that later turned out to be a cover for a far more sinister purpose.
On November 16, police recovered the bodies of Nayana and the children from the pits.
Following the discovery, Khambhla was arrested and during interrogation confessed that the murders were pre-planned. Investigators said he smothered all three victims using a pillow. After committing the crime, he sent a message from his wife’s phone to his own number, claiming she was leaving to live with someone else — a move aimed at deflecting suspicion. He then put the phone on airplane mode.
Police believe a prolonged marital dispute was the prime trigger. Nayana reportedly wanted the family to live together in Bhavnagar instead of Surat with in-laws — a demand Khambhla was unwilling to accept.
The sensational case has sent shockwaves across the state, not only due to the brutality of the murders but also the calculated planning and the officer’s attempt to manipulate evidence. Investigations are underway, with police continuing to examine whether anyone else was complicit in the crime.