What if some of the most thrilling crime movies you watched were not fiction, but based on real events? What if India had stories just as shocking as Hollywood scripts? Sit tight. What you’re about to read will make you question what’s real and what’s reel.
- The Great Indian Train Robbery (1981)
Location: Tamil Nadu
Stolen Amount: Rs. 55 lakh (a huge amount in 1981)
Status: Unsolved
Imagine a group of robbers who studied train routes, knew every security loophole, and had the guts to pull off one of the most daring crimes in Indian history. The gang boarded a train that was carrying money meant for banks and government accounts. In the dead of night, they disconnected the coach carrying the cash, took it 5 kilometers away, emptied it, and disappeared.
It was as cinematic as The Italian Job – except this wasn’t a film. Police found the empty cash boxes but never found the robbers.
Fun Fact: Some claim the planning was so detailed that even insiders from the railways might have helped.
What makes it spooky: Despite decades passing, no one has been officially charged or convicted.
- The Burari Deaths (2018)
Location: Burari, Delhi
Victims: 11 family members
Status: Classified as mass suicide, but heavily disputed
One morning, neighbors of the Bhatia family found something horrifying: 11 members of the same family, dead. Ten of them were found hanging with their hands tied and mouths gagged. One elderly woman was strangled.
The police found a diary that hinted at spiritual rituals, and experts believed that one of the sons led the family into believing they would be “reborn.” Still, people across India refuse to believe the official story.
The scene was chilling – like a blend of Hereditary and The Others. Netflix even made a documentary about it.
Why it shook India: How could 11 educated, middle-class people willingly die? Or were they manipulated… or murdered?
- Opera House Heist, Mumbai (1987)
Location: Zaveri Bazaar, Mumbai
Stolen Value: Jewelry worth crores
Modus Operandi: Fake CBI Raid
It sounds like a plot from Catch Me If You Can. A team of men in formal wear walked into a jewelry shop in the bustling Zaveri Bazaar, claiming to be from the CBI. They showed fake warrants, seized jewelry “for investigation,” and left.
Only hours later did the shop owner realize he had been duped. The planning, costumes, fake documents – it was a Bollywood crime thriller before Bollywood could write one.
Interesting Angle: This heist is believed to have inspired several Hindi movies involving fake police raids.
Status: No arrests. Case closed.
- Aarushi-Hemraj Murder Case (2008)
Location: Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Victims: Aarushi Talwar (14), Hemraj (servant)
Status: Still controversial
A teenage girl found dead in her bedroom. The family’s servant missing – only to be discovered dead on the terrace the next day. The media went wild, speculating everything from honor killing to external intruders.
The case went through CBI twists, court rulings, and Netflix adaptations (The Talwars). The girl’s parents were accused, jailed, then released.
Why it’s scary: Too many theories, and no clear answers even today.
- Chennai ATM Gas Cutter Heist (2011)
Location: Chennai
Amount Stolen: Rs. 5.5 crore
Method: High-tech robbery using gas cutters
If you liked Den of Thieves, this one’s for you.
A group shut down CCTV connections, used industrial gas cutters to slice open an ATM’s vault, and looted over 5 crore rupees. All without triggering a single alarm.
What made it shocking: The level of expertise made people believe it was done by professionals or even ex-military.
Despite intense police investigations, the robbers disappeared – like smoke.
- The Stoneman Murders, Kolkata (1989)
Location: Kolkata
Victims: 13 (believed to be more)
Status: Never solved
People sleeping on pavements were found dead with their skulls smashed by a large stone. No one saw anything. No motive. Just bodies.
It kept happening for months.
The media named the killer “Stoneman.” It was India’s version of Jack the Ripper – ruthless, silent, and invisible.
Why it haunts us: There was no pattern. The only clue – a heavy stone near each body.
- Punjab Bank Vault Tunnel Heist (2014)
Location: Gohana, Haryana
Loot: 90+ lockers opened
Method: Tunnel dug from 125 feet away
Just like in The Bank Job, robbers dug a tunnel from a nearby building straight into the bank’s locker room. They took their time, used expert tools, and stole from nearly 100 lockers.
The twist: Locals never suspected a thing, even though construction sounds came from the house for days.
Still unsolved. The CCTV? Switched off.
- KD Kempamma – The ‘Godwoman’ Serial Killer (1999–2007)
Location: Karnataka
Victims: At least 6
Motive: Robbery disguised as religious rituals
Kempamma pretended to be a religious healer. She targeted women in distress, offered to conduct rituals to remove their “curses,” and poisoned them with cyanide during the process. Then she stole their jewelry and fled.
India’s first known female serial killer.
The media named her “Cyanide Mallika.”
She confessed but remains a symbol of how trust can be deadly.
- Ghaziabad Skeleton Mystery (2010)
Location: Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
Scene: Skeleton found in a locked room
Neighbors noticed a terrible smell coming from a house. When police broke in, they found a skeleton on the bed. A woman lived with the body for months, claiming it was her father who “was just sleeping.”
Psychologists said she might have had a breakdown. The truth? We may never know.
What makes it eerie: The room was sealed. The woman refused help. Was it grief… or something else?
- Gurugram Cash Van Inside Job (2023)
Location: Gurugram, Haryana
Stolen Amount: Rs. 300 crore
Method: Disguised as guards, real vehicle, inside help suspected
In one of the most recent and jaw-dropping heists, a van transporting hundreds of crores vanished. CCTV later showed men dressed as guards casually driving the vehicle away.
By the time the real firm realized, it was too late. Money gone. Vehicle gone. No trace.
Inspired by modern films like Money Heist or Inside Man, but this one happened for real.
Still no arrest.
Final Thoughts
India has its fair share of mysteries – not just in folk tales or ghost stories, but in real crimes that shook society. Some made headlines for weeks. Some were forgotten. But each one tells us how close fiction and reality can be.
So next time you watch a Hollywood crime thriller, remember – India’s got stories just as chilling.
Want more thrilling reads? Stay tuned on CrimsonShed.com for deep dives into real crime, heists, and unsolved mysteries from around the world.
