Indore: A 32-year-old software engineer, Shampa Pandey, was killed late Wednesday night in Indore’s Shiv Vatika township after being intentionally hit by a speeding car following a heated argument. The deceased, who worked for Infosys, was allegedly targeted by the son of a penthouse owner after residents objected to the flat being used as a commercial Airbnb rental. A second woman, Ranu Rawal—the wife of a local security guard—was also injured in the assault.
The conflict began around 10:00 PM when residents of the colony reportedly disconnected the power supply to a penthouse owned by Kuldeep Chaudhary, expressing their long-standing disapproval of short-term rentals in their residential premises. Shampa’s husband, Saurabh Pandey, stated that after they went downstairs to investigate their own power cut, an altercation ensued with Chaudhary. According to eyewitness accounts and the victim’s husband, Chaudhary allegedly called his son, Mohnish, instructing him to bring their car to “settle the matter” once and for all.
Mohnish Chaudhary reportedly drove the vehicle into the residential campus at speeds of 60-70 km/h, first striking the security guard’s wife before hitting Shampa Pandey. The impact was so severe that Shampa was thrown against a wall, suffering a fatal brain haemorrhage. Lasudiya Police Station in-charge Taresh Soni confirmed that CCTV footage of the incident has been recovered. Both Kuldeep and Mohnish Chaudhary have been detained, and a formal case of murder has been registered against them as the investigation continues.
