A 42-year-old witch doctor and YouTuber from Vejalpur, Navalsinh Chavda, was arrested for planning to kill a businessman. However, further investigation revealed that Chavda wasn't just planning one murder; he had also killed several people over the years for money.

Chavda, who pretended to be a tantrik, tricked his victims into visiting him for rituals that he promised would make them rich. Instead of helping them, Chavda poisoned his victims and stole their money. His latest target was 29-year-old Abhijeet Singh Rajput from Sanand, whom he promised he could make richer through a ritual. However, Rajput's brother, who suspected Chavda, reported the plan to the police. This led to Chavda being caught just before he could harm Rajput.

Chavda’s dark past: Serial killings exposed

As the police investigated Chavda further, they found that he had been involved in more murders. In 2023, Chavda killed three members of a family in Surendranagar. The victims were Dipesh Patadia, 50; his wife, Parul, 50; and their 19-year-old daughter, Utsavi. Chavda had tricked the family into meeting him for a ritual, but instead of helping them, he poisoned them to death. He then dumped their bodies in the Dudhrej canal, making it look like they had all committed suicide.

At first, the Surendranagar police thought the deaths were accidental. However, Chavda’s role in the case was only discovered after his arrest in Ahmedabad. According to the police in Ahmedabad, Chavda had been questioned about the Surendranagar deaths earlier, but the investigation stopped at that point. Now, the case will be reopened for further investigation.

Chavda was also involved in another case from 2021, where a man named Vivek Gohil was found dead in a motorcycle accident in Kamod village. At first, it was thought to be an accident, but Vivek’s brother, Jigar, felt something was wrong. After looking into it, Jigar discovered that Chavda had poisoned his brother. Jigar also recorded Chavda talking about his plan to kill Rajput. This recording helped the police stop the murder before it happened.

How the victim’s brother helped expose the plot

Jigar Gohil's suspicion played an important role in uncovering Chavda’s crimes. Jigar and Chavda had worked together in a taxi service, but Jigar became worried when Chavda talked about getting rich by killing people. Chavda told Jigar about his plan to kill Rajput and even offered him 25% of the money he would get from the murder.

Jigar, alarmed by the confession, recorded the conversation on his phone and immediately went to the police. The police took action, and a team from Sarkhej rushed to the location in Mumatpura, where Chavda was preparing to kill Rajput. The police arrested him before the murder could take place.

Chavda had been carrying poisonous powder that he would mix with water to offer to his victims. The powder would cause either a fatal heart attack, make the victim lose control of their faculties, or leave them unconscious. This was how he had killed previous victims, including the family in Surendranagar and Vivek Gohil in 2021.

Chavda’s arrest and police investigation

After Chavda was arrested, police found important evidence in his car, such as ritual items and white powder. They also discovered videos on his YouTube channel showing him doing black magic rituals. The police believe Chavda might have been involved in human sacrifices as part of his practices, and they are looking into whether he had help from others in committing these crimes.

The court has allowed the police to keep Chavda in custody for seven more days to continue their investigation. The police asked for more time to examine the crime scenes and confirm if Chavda was really involved in human sacrifices.

The legal consequences for Chavda

Chavda has been booked under several serious charges, including Sections 55 (abetment of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life), 62 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment), and 318(1) and (2) (cheating).

He has also been charged under the Gujarat Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil, and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2024. This act carries a punishment of six months to seven years in prison and a fine ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000.