According to the police, on January 15, 2003, Santosh had taken his brother-in-law to a secluded area in Kurad and engaged him in a conversation. He then asked Mosamkar to climb up the deserted rocks. Santosh had then pushed Gopal off the hill after ensuring nobody was around. An accidental death case was registered by the police and nobody, including Gopal’s family members, were doubtful about his death. Five years later when Santosh and his brother were picked up in a petty case of theft, Sampat claimed that Santosh was the main culprit who had also in the past allegedly murdered his brother-in-law.

Five years after the incident, an eyewitness deposed before the police on how he had seen Santosh pushing a man. “It took five years for an eyewitness to reveal the incident to the police. The court observed that the credibility of the witness was highly doubted and one could not be trusted, if he doesn’t divulge information for as long as five years,” said Santosh’s lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan.