Agencies | Mumbai:
A convicted murderer from Gujarat, who spent nearly 12 years absconding after jumping parole, has been arrested by the Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) after allegedly living under multiple fake identities and working in Bollywood and regional cinema alongside some of India’s biggest film stars.
The accused, identified as Hemant Nagindas Purushottamdas Modi, was convicted in 2008 in the murder case of Narendra alias Naino Yashwant Kamble and sentenced to life imprisonment along with six others, including his brother Sachin Modi.
According to police, Hemant had served around six years in Sabarmati Central Jail and Mehsana Jail before being granted 30 days’ parole by the Gujarat High Court on July 25, 2014. However, he never returned to prison after the parole period ended and remained on the run ever since.
Investigators said the fugitive initially stayed in Gujarat’s Patan district before reinventing himself under a new identity. He allegedly adopted the name “Twinkle Mukund Dave” and later entered the entertainment industry under the screen name “Spandan Modi”.
Police said Hemant managed to quietly build a career in films, theatre and television while avoiding detection for over a decade. During this period, he reportedly appeared in several Bollywood and regional film projects, including Thugs of Hindostan featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, Jayeshbhai Jordaar starring Ranveer Singh, and Metro… In Dino. He was also reportedly associated with the Malayalam film L2: Empuraan starring Mohanlal and upcoming productions such as Lahore 1947 and Tu Hai Meri Kiran.
Apart from Bollywood, the accused is believed to have acted in around 20 Gujarati films, multiple television serials, the web series Taskari, and several Gujarati stage plays, including Yugpurush and Gandhi Viruddh Godse.
Police officials said Hemant maintained an extremely low digital profile during his years in hiding. He allegedly severed ties with family members, divorced his wife and avoided social media, making it difficult for investigators to trace him despite his public-facing profession.
His arrest reportedly came after an individual recognised him in Ahmedabad and alerted the police. Authorities then matched his appearance with old prison records and confirmed his identity during interrogation.
Police are now investigating whether the accused received assistance in obtaining forged identities and how he managed to evade law enforcement agencies while actively working in the entertainment industry for more than a decade.
