Raped, killed, posted assault video on Whatsapp group: MBA student held in classmate’s death case in MP’s Indore

The preliminary post-mortem report identified strangulation after physical assault as the cause of death.

Updated on: Feb 15, 2026, 12:07:08 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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A Master of Business Administration (MBA) student was arrested in Mumbai on Saturday for allegedly raping, killing his 25-year-old classmate in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, and posting the video of the sexual assault on their college’s WhatsApp group.

Investigators said Dhanotia confessed to having strangled his classmate on February 10 and fleeing after locking his rented room. (Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times file photo)

A semi-decomposed body of a classmate was found in Indore on Friday. Additional deputy police commissioner Dishesh Agrawal said the accused, Piyush Dhanotia, is from Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur.

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Investigators said Dhanotia confessed to having strangled his classmate on February 10 and fleeing after locking his rented room.

The 25-year-old woman went missing on February 10. The following day, videos featuring her and a man were circulated in their college WhatsApp group. Her face was visible, and the man’s was obscured.

The college administration removed the content and informed the woman’s father, who then filed a missing complaint. On Friday, a foul smell was reported from Dhanotia’s room. Police broke the locked door and found the woman’s body in a semi-decomposed condition.

The preliminary post-mortem report identified strangulation after physical assault as the cause of death. Dhanotia has been booked under sections 103 (murder), 64 (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhitha and the Information Technology Act.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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