Student Allegedly Kills Mumbai Model After Fight, Stuffs Body In Suitcase – screams an NDTV headline, allegedly a news website. How do you allegedly kill someone? You either kill someone or you don’t. This cryptic headline had my attention and by the time I dug up the entire story, checked other media and social media stories about it, the story behind the alleged murder was clear.

Picture this, a small-town girl lands on Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai. She is attractive, she is confident, and she is determined. She has every trait that can ensure an entry into the glamorous world of Bollywood. It doesn’t take her long to land a few modeling assignments. But she wants to make it big and modeling is just the first step. But no story is complete without a friend and she gets one too.

Then one day the ‘friend’ calls the girl, at his place. An argument follows and soon it turns into a fight. The friend gets enraged and smashes the girl’s head with a hammer, killing her on the spot. He then goes on to strangle her lifeless body to ensure that she is dead. He then stuffs her body into a suitcase, books a cab and sets off for Mumbai international airport.

This is not a chapter from a crime novel. This is an actual incident. Mansi Dixit existed until yesterday. Now she does not. She was killed in cold blood by her ‘friend’ Muzammil Sayyed. Originally from Rajasthan, Mansi Dixit was an aspiring actress and a confident young woman. She was quite active on social media too, as is evident from her social media pages. Her last public post on Facebook shows her celebrating a trip to Dubai with her sister.

And Muzammil Sayyed was no gun-toting assassin; he was an everyday criminal, someone who could blend with regular people with consummate ease. At this point of time, not much is clear about him. As per the police report, Muzammil Sayyed, who lived in Oshiwara was known to Mansi Dixit. He invited Dixit at his place, following which they got into an argument. Sayyed in a fit of fury cracked Dixit’s head open with a hammer, killing her instantly and then went on to choke her. He then stuffed her body into a suitcase and booked a cab online for Mumbai international airport.

Sayyed asked the cabbie to take the vehicle to an isolated place. He got out of the car, coolly dumped the suitcase in a bush, abandoned the taxi, and took a rickshaw home.

Sensing something wrong, the cabbie notified the Bangur Nagar police and shared Sayyed’s details from the online booking records. Mumbai Police took no time in nabbing Sayyed, after which he confessed to his crime.

This is not just another incident. It’s a grim reminder of the dark times we live in. No one can be trusted. An acquaintance is not a friend and certainly not someone whose place you can visit. This world is full of creeps, lechers, sadists, demented and people with criminal propensities. This world is full of Muzammil Sayyeds. One must vet an acquaintance thoroughly before deciding to spend time with them. This case is a warning to girls in big cities. When people meet you for the first time, understand that they are generally trying to present their best side. It is only after you get to know them better, you get to know about what lies beneath the shayari quoting, polished exteriors. Be afraid. And be very careful!