Neeraj Grover Murder

 Neeraj Grover, a young man who hailed from Kishni, a small town in Uttar Pradesh was born in 1982. He came to Mumbai to set his foot in the television industry. At the age of 26, he was working as a creative executive director in the Indian version of a US television show “Are you smarter than a fifth-grader.” He was also holding the auditions of a soon-to-be-released television series ‘Mahabharat.’ Neeraj’s work was going well until he chanced upon a lady named Maria Monica Susairaj, a Kannada actress. Over a period of time, the intimacy and affection between them grew to a certain level which ultimately led to the homicide of Neeraj Grover. This article further explains what exactly happened that it became one of the most gruesome murder cases in India.

Maria M. Susairaj first met Neeraj in his office for the purpose of giving the audition for the television series mentioned above. Neeraj did not find her acting skills up to the mark and fit for the role exactly required. Also, because she was of Kannada origin, she lacked the accent of the Hindi language which was required by the show. Irrespective of the anomalies he found in Maria’s character as an actress, he was impressed by her as a person. Soon, he befriended her, and since Maria also showed interest in him, they became good friends. They shared each others’ contacts and communicated regularly via calls and online chatting platforms.

Gradually, the affection and intimacy between both of them grew and they started meeting more frequently. As time passed, Maria found a place to stay in Mumbai. She took an apartment on rent, that was flat no. 201 in Dheeraj Solitaire apartments, Malad, Mumbai.

suspected Maria Susairaj of his disappearance. The police initiated the inquiry against her the next day, and she stated that Neeraj did come to her place but he left her house at midnight to go to attend a party.

The forensic examination team went to the house of Maria Susairaj for the investigation as the acquaintances of Neeraj pointed the needle of suspicion towards her. On examining every corner, and the bedroom of the house, the team found that the upholstery of the room including the curtains, bedsheets, and everything was newly bought. Moreover, a bloodstain could be seen on the latch of the door and a little bit of it at some other places too. The exercise of blood sampling was conducted and it turned out to be Neeraj’s blood. 

Secondly, when Maria lodged a police complaint in Malad police station on May 9, she told the police that Neeraj was missing from the night of May 6 when he last met her at her apartment. She also said that he forgot his mobile phone at her place. Subsequently, the phone records of Neeraj were studied. The cellphone records showed that an SMS was received by Neeraj’s phone on the evening of May 7, the day he was murdered in the morning. This is where Maria’s claims were found to be falsifying because she said that Neeraj left his phone at her place, but the SMS received on May 7, traced a different location i.e. at Dahisar Check Naka. 

As the level of suspicion rose, the police investigated the case more meticulously. The debit card records showed that she bought the upholstery stuff, a chopper, and a couple of duffel bags from a mall adjacent to her apartment on the morning of May 7. The investigation authorities also found that the car which she alleged to have borrowed didn’t actually belong to her neighbour. She admitted that she lied about the same for some unspecified reasons. The statements of the watchman of her society, and the petrol pump attendee from whom the couple bought petrol, cleared the way of suspicion and testified for the collected proofs. 

When she found herself blocked from all the directions, Susairaj finally confessed to the commission of murdering Neeraj Grover. On the basis of the confession made by Maria Susairj, the police arrested her fiance, Matthew. The trial went on for a few years until the decision was pronounced by the Mumbai Sessions Court.