The Desi Crime Podcast

It's 10 p.m. on May 16, 2012, and Havelock Town pulses with the electric hum of Colombo's nightlife, a cold breeze from the Indian Ocean fans across Sri Lanka’s capital city. Inside El Greco nightclub, Wasim Thajudeen, 27 and built like the rugby captain he is—broad shoulders and an easy smile—holds court at a corner booth. The clock ticks 11:30 p.m. "Gotta bounce, lads," he says to his friends. Hugs ripple through the crew; a chorus of "Drive safe!" and "Text when you're wheels-down!" fades as he weaves out in his black BMW X5. Nothing about that night appears unusual. There are no warnings, no raised alarms, nothing that suggests it will end any differently from countless other nights in Colombo. But something happens that night. Wasim never makes it to the airport the next morning. He never boards his flight. He never leaves the city. This is the story of Sri Lanka’s golden boy, a national rugby star. This is the story of Wasim Thajudeen.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios Join our YouTube family: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/Order our book, Desi Crime, available now on Amazon:https://amzn.in/d/0WyttKWTo buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

On an October night in 1974, Stanford University was quiet in the way elite campuses often are after dark—orderly, confident, almost untouchable. Students slept behind locked doors, bells stood silent, and the church at the center of campus felt like the safest place imaginable. Inside that church, a young woman sought nothing more than solitude, reflection, and rest. And by morning, she was dead. What investigators found was disturbing, ritualistic, and completely at odds with the image Stanford projected to the world. There were no signs of forced entry, no clear suspect, and no immediate explanation for how violence had entered a sacred space so easily. Questions remained for decades, until one development—long after most had stopped looking—changed everything. This is the story of that one pristine university church, that one night, and that one woman locked behind its doors who never made it out alive. This is the story of Arlis Perry.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

In the mid-1980s, families across North Kerala began dying inside locked homes, attacked while asleep, with no signs of struggle and no witnesses. This episode unpacks the Ripper Chandran case — the fear that gripped entire districts, the investigative blind spots of the time, and the moment India was forced to understand serial crime for the first time.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

Welcome to Chai & Chithi, a segment where we read some of the scariest, most terrifying, and most haunting stories that YOU send in to us. In this week’s episode, we’re reading: Watch Daldal: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Daldal/0KUJKS3SFBKRU9K87JENILIPYCTo send us your scary stories to read, write to us at staydesi [at] thedesistudios [dot] com.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/

A moonless night in the Rocky Mountains. January 6, 1982. Snow has been dumping for hours over Colorado as temperatures plummet. Far above the ski lights of Breckenridge, on a remote mountain pass, tragedy had already begun. That night, in the cozy bars of Breckenridge, as locals were huddling together to seek refuge from the storm, little did they know that two members of their community had just vanished. This is the story of that snowy night, that otherwise peaceful town, and those two victims tied together by a single clue. This is the story of the orange sock murders.00:03:35:23- chapter 1 SOS IN THE ROCKIES00:13:06:16- chapter 2 ANNETTE IS MISSING00:31:10:18- chapter 3 DEAD ENDS00:41:50:16- chapter 4 THE GENEALOGY GAMBLE00:51:47:23- chapter 5 DAY IN COURTFor extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudiosJoin our YouTube family: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrimehttps://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisrahttps://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

Welcome to Moment of Silence x Desi Crime: The Last Sleepover.Remember those sleepovers where you stayed up way too late; swapping rumours, gossiping, and trying to spook your best friends with scary stories? This is our attempt to take you back to that feeling. Hosted by Aishwarya Singh, Aryaan Misra, Naina Bhan and Sakshi Shivdasani, this crossover slumber party takes you on a ride: Do ghosts exist? Does a bad date count as a paranormal experience? Is real life scarier or the afterlife? And who exactly is haunting the MOS studio? Featuring a woman with many names, a first date from hell, and a curse that came back to haunt a family - we’re bringing you a whole bunch of nightmares, strange encounters, and simple horrors otherwise known as human dating.  And because no sleepover is complete without summoning a spirit, a special segment called Afterlife Advice: where we try our hand at paranormal activity and answer your relationship dilemmas with a little help from our resident ghost. Dim the lights, grab a blanket + a hot bowl of something yum (and don’t forget to check under your bed for monsters). Sweet dreams.P.S: Drop a boo in the comments if you liked this episode + subscribe!!Chaptering- 00:00 – Something creepy went down in Lonavala00:18 – Welcome to The Last Sleepover01:48 – High school rumours: trips, condoms & drugs 04:21 – Touring haunted properties04:40 – Desi Crime’s haunted trip to Rajasthan07:03 – Revenge of a camera-shy spirit08:34 – Sushi barking at ghost from 2–3 AM 11:16 – Story 1: The girl with many names17:52 – Story 2: First date fate26:56 – Story 3: A highway accident that awakened a sixth sense34:10 – Story 4: Things you should probably reveal early on a first date39:12 – Story 5: Vengeful spirit: a pilgrimage turned nightmare49:35 – Would you rather know how you die or when you die?50:54 – Afterlife advice nobody asked for57:45 – Like, share, subscribe & summon us againAishwarya & Naina’s PJ sets - https://www.shopmauve.in/collections/pyjama-setsCredits: Follow MoS on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/momentofsilencepod/?hl=enFor Desi Crime on Instagram:   / https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aishwarya - Co-host, true crime fanatic and self-proclaimed best true crime podcaster https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/Aryaan   / aryaanmisra - Co-host, the straight guy that manipulated his way into the girl’s sleepover https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Naina Bhan - Co-host and certified overthinkerhttps://www.instagram.com/nainabee?ig...Sakshi Shivdasani - Co-host, balancing out Naina’s overthinking with a healthy dose of not thinking  / sakshishivd.  .Director + Research & Writing - Aashna Sharma https://www.linkedin.com/in/aashna-sharma-913146179/Creative direction- Natascha Mehrahttps://www.instagram.com/natascha.zi...Produced by Handmade - Our personal cheering squad   / thehandmade.  .Producer - Amruta P. www.linkedin.com/in/amruta-bandivdekar-01879925Editor - Yug Verma https://www.instagram.com/bass_abhiyug?igsh=MnlibHdsbG56MjNl&utm_source=qrReels: Maria CasubhoyAnimation: Maria Casubhoy and Evan ThomasDisclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts, the production team, or the brand. While we encourage open dialogue, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information shared by our guests. Listener discretion is advised — especially if you're allergic to strong opinions.

On the night of November 25, 1981, an Air India Boeing 707 descended toward Mahé in the Seychelles expecting a routine refuelling stop—and instead flew straight into a war zone. Below, a coup was unfolding. As tracer bullets and mortars lit up the night, Captain Umesh Chandra Saxena circled overhead with dwindling fuel, receiving only cryptic warnings from a control tower that had already been seized by the mercenaries. With minutes of fuel left and no safe alternative, he made a life-or-death decision to land on a battlefield. What followed was one of the strangest hostage crises in aviation history. This is the story of Air India flight 224.

On a winter evening in January 2011, a university campus in British Columbia was slowly winding down. Classes were over, lights glowed softly inside lecture halls, and students moved through parking lots thinking about nothing more than getting home. In a space meant to feel ordinary, familiar, and safe, something unthinkable was about to happen—quick, targeted, and irreversible. That evening, a young woman was gone, and an entire community was left to understand how this violence arrived. This is the story of that one evening, of that one campus, and of Maple Batalia.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudiosJoin our YouTube family: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrimehttps://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisrahttps://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

Recorded live at Apple BKC, Mumbai It began as a routine evening in Surrey — the kind that never makes headlines. Manjit Panghali stepped out, expecting to return home like she always did. But she didn’t. At first, it was brushed off as a delay… a missed call… a misunderstanding. But as hours passed, the silence grew heavier. What unsettled investigators wasn’t just that she was missing — it was where the trail stopped and who noticed the absence last. This is the story of that seemingly ordinary day, that woman who should’ve returned, and the one person hell bent on making sure she didn’t. This is the story of Manjit Panghali.For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios Join our YouTube family: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios

This is the story of Freemont’s real life Dexter. This is the story of a 29-year-old Indian-American engineer, Varun Suresh. Get your hands on our favorite gum: https://neurogumindia.comFor extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0YvrxWMq3h0hmo13Jg/joinFor fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram.com/aryaanmisra/Aishwarya https://www.instagram.com/aishwaryasinghs/To buy Desi Studios merch, visit: https://kadakmerch.com/collections/desi-studios