Hemant Modi, a 54-year-old murder convict who escaped from prison in 2014 after being granted a 30-day parole, was arrested last week from a rented house in Ahmedabad's Gheekanta area. For over a decade, he managed to evade capture while pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, appearing in films, television commercials, and stage dramas under multiple aliases.
Life on the Run
Modi's acting journey began after he jumped parole in July 2014. He initially moved to Patan in north Gujarat, where he performed in awareness skits and street plays on topics like vaccination and sanitation. Between 2016 and 2017, he secured roles in Gujarati films and devotional music videos. In 2018, he shifted to Mumbai and landed a minor role in the Bollywood blockbuster Thugs of Hindostan, starring Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. Over the years, his filmography expanded to include Jayeshbhai Jordaar (with Ranveer Singh), Metro... In Dino, the Malayalam film L2: Empuraan, and the recently released Taskaree: The Smuggler's Web featuring Emraan Hashmi. He also acted in 10 Gujarati films, 27 TV commercials, 26 stage dramas, more than 3,000 stage shows, and 14 short films. Police estimate he used at least eight different aliases, including Spandan Modi, Spandan Kumar, and Hemang Vyas, often changing his name to match the community of his employers.
Acting Skills Fooled Police
When crime branch officers finally tracked Modi down on May 20, his acting skills nearly convinced them they had the wrong man. A senior police officer recounted: "He behaved like a law-abiding citizen, politely objecting to his arrest in a manner that even had us confused for some time. He spoke calmly and confidently, there was no panic in him." The police had received a tip-off from a close relative about Modi's stay in Ahmedabad and spent nearly a month confirming his identity before making the arrest.
Background and Escape
Modi was convicted in 2008 for the murder of Narendra alias Nanno Kamble in a 2005 dispute over a staircase and common passage in Naroda's Parshwanath Township. He and six others were sentenced to life imprisonment. While in Sabarmati Central Jail, he witnessed the murder of gangster Chetan Patel and was moved to Mehsana jail for safety. In July 2014, the Gujarat High Court granted him 30 days' parole, after which he disappeared. Police admit that years of inaction contributed to his freedom; his name was not on the list of 1,115 parole absconders uploaded on the National Prison Portal.
Life in the Film Industry
During his time on the run, Modi maintained a public profile, attending auditions and uploading videos to his YouTube channel Amdavadi Uncle. He lived in a paying guest facility in Mumbai's Borivali during the Covid lockdown, where fellow actors remember him as a motivational figure. "He used to motivate others by narrating how he'd struggled and eventually got opportunities," said an actor who knew him. "Nobody imagined that he was an absconder." To support himself, Modi took clerical jobs and sent his portfolio to around 200 directors and producers, accepting any role with enthusiasm.
Hidden Past
Modi had been involved in theatre since college and used the stage name Spandan Modi. He also studied law and cleared the judicial magistrate first class exam while in jail. Police are investigating whether he appeared as an advocate in court while absconding. Despite his criminal background, those in the theatre and film fraternity saw him as a dedicated actor. Director Kartavya Shah, who cast Modi in 53 Mu Panu, described him as "deeply affected by prison life" and noted that he shared emotional stories from jail but never revealed he was a murder convict or parole jumper. Casting director Bhavesh Bhanu recalled that Modi once asked for payment through another person's bank account, claiming his own wasn't working—a detail that now seems suspicious.
To the police, Modi was a fugitive who manipulated identities and escaped justice for over a decade. To the theatre community, he was an actor living for his next role. The line between his two lives had blurred so much that even he might not have been able to distinguish them.
