‘Dancing On The Grave’, an Indian true crime docu-series by Amazon Prime Video, revisits the sudden disappearance and gruesome murder of Shakereh Khaleeli (maiden name Namazie), a well-known and wealthy heiress from a respected family in Bangalore. She suddenly disappeared in 1991 and was later discovered buried alive in a wooden casket in her own house.
Directed by Patrick Graham, the investigative unscripted series delves deep into the case and presents it in a well-balanced manner. The docu-series is gripping to the core and has been receiving rave reviews from critics and viewers alike.
Here are some interesting pictures that will quickly take you through the life of Shakereh Khaleeli:
Granddaughter of the former Dewan of Mysore Mirza Ismail, Shakereh Namazie was born in Madras (now Chennai) in 1947 to a wealthy Indian-Persian family. She completed her education in Singapore and worked as a real estate developer.
Those who knew Shakereh said that her height and sharp features gave her an aristocratic air. She lived life to the fullest, she knew how to deal with big people. She was always interested in architecture and so she became a real estate developer.
Shakereh was told by her grandfather that she will be marrying her cousin, Akbar Khaleeli. In 1964, they got married while she was only 18. He served in the Indian Foreign Service, and they had four daughters together.
These are the 4 daughters of Shakereh and Akbar Khaleeli. When Akbar got posted in Iran, Shakereh and their daughters stayed back in India. But after their divorce in 1985, the daughters moved to Italy, where Akbar Khaleeli was posted.
Shakereh was introduced to a self-proclaimed godman named Murli Manohar Mishra, also known as Swami Shraddhananda, at the house of Begum of Rampur. Just six months after her divorce from Akbar, she married Shraddhananda.
Shakereh’s second daughter, Sabah, was aware of her mother’s blind craving for a male child. She also believed that Shradhananda promised Shakereh a male child. That was the only reason for her mother to marry him six months after her divorce. The second marriage was spurned by Shakereh’s family and community, and hence was ostracised.
Shakereh's daughters returned to India in 1990, and she notified Sabah of her plans to move to London. Her mother disappeared shortly after that. So, Sabah never heard from her mother, even when she called or wanted to visit her home as Shraddhananda was always the one answering the phone or making excuses. After much speculation, Sabah ultimately decided to go to the police and file a missing person’s report in 1991.
Shraddananda eventually surrendered and let the cat out of the bag. On April 28, 1991, he had poisoned his wife's tea with sedatives and buried her alive in a trench in the courtyard over a mattress wrapped within a coffin. When the authorities discovered the skeleton three years later, they found its hand gripping onto a mattress, indicating that she was literally grabbing on for dear life while being buried alive.
Shraddananda was apprehended in 1994, following the discovery of Khaleeli's remains. His trial began in 1994, and he was sentenced to death by hanging in 2005. However, a 2006 appeal resulted in a new judgement in 2008, which sentenced him to life in jail.
If you love watching true crime docu-series and want to know about Shakereh Khaleeli’s mysterious murder in detail, then you should definitely binge-watch ‘Dancing On The Grave’.
