Justice After 15 Years: DNA Evidence Cracks Chandigarh's MBA Student Rape-Murder Case
In a landmark verdict delivering long-awaited justice, a special court in Chandigarh on Thursday convicted a 38-year-old taxi driver for the brutal 2010 sexual assault and murder of a 21-year-old MBA student. The 15-year-old cold case was finally cracked open not by a fresh eyewitness, but by the enduring power of forensic DNA evidence that conclusively linked the perpetrator to the crime.
The convict, Monu Kumarquantum of sentence scheduled for pronouncement on Friday.
The Grisly Crime and the Long Wait for Answers
The tragedy unfolded on the evening of July 30, 2010. The young woman, an MBA student, left her home on a scooter to attend an English-speaking class in Sector 15. When she failed to return by 9 PM, her frantic father began making calls. Her friends revealed she had visited one of them around 7:30 PM but left shortly after.
The search ended in horror. The father received a call informing him that his daughter's scooter, bearing bloodstains, was found parked near a taxi stand in Sector 38 West. On the other side of the road, in some bushes, they discovered her half-naked body lying in a pool of blood. She was rushed to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), where doctors declared her brought dead. An FIR was registered the next day, July 31, 2010, based on the father's complaint, launching an investigation that would span a decade and a half.
The DNA Breakthrough That Sealed the Fate
For years, the case remained unsolved despite extensive investigation. The key to breaking it open lay in the biological evidence meticulously collected from the crime scene. Forensic experts collected the victim's clothes and internal body swabs, which contained a significant quantity of male DNA from semen traces.
According to forensic authorities, these samples were used for DNA extraction and profiling. Over the next 14 years, the DNA profile was compared with more than 100 suspects, but a match remained elusive. The initial analysis was conducted in 2012 by the then CFSL Chandigarh DNA Division In-charge, Sunita Verma.
The turning point came in May 2024, when Monu Kumar was arrested in connection with another rape and murder case of a similar pattern in Maloya, Chandigarh. Noting the modus operandi, police re-submitted all samples from the 2010 case to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for a fresh comparison with Kumar's DNA.
The wait ended in August 2024. The examination report from Dr. Dhirendra Singh Yadav, the DNA Division In-charge, provided the conclusive link: Monu Kumar's DNA was a perfect match with the male DNA recovered from the semen traces on the victim's clothes and internal swabs preserved for 15 years. During the trial, the defense counsel, Advocate Sunil Pandey, argued that his client was falsely implicated based solely on the DNA report, but the court found the forensic evidence irrefutable.
The Science of Persistence: How DNA Withstands Time
A forensic expert involved in the case highlighted the critical role of proper evidence preservation. The expert explained that even a single hair with roots containing viable cells can be sufficient to generate a DNA profile, and a minuscule amount of 0.5 to 2 nanograms of DNA is enough for a complete profile.
Emphasizing why this case could be solved after so long, the expert stated that if biological samples like semen are stored properly—kept dry and free from moisture, fungus, or microbial contamination—they can remain viable for DNA profiling for several decades. The use of STR (Short Tandem Repeat) kits for profiling ensured the male DNA from the biological material on the victim was accurately detected and matched, proving that forensic science can be a powerful tool for justice, no matter how much time has passed.
