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: To 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/join To buy Desi Studios merch, visit...
Apr 10, 2025•23 min
In August of 1967 when summer rolled to an end and students from all over the world flocked to the United States to begin their college education in the country of their dreams, one 23 year old young man was also boarding a flight from Bengal in India to the city of Berkeley in California. Nobody knew that this one man walking the airport with them or sharing the same flight with them was going to go on to change not only the country he was entering but the world. This is the story of that one m...
Apr 05, 2025•1 hr 4 min
The story I have for you today is one that took Sri Lanka by storm. Not just when it happened in 2005, but again in 2019, almost 15 years after the crime. This is the story of a 19-year-old Swedish Sri Lankan, a young girl much like any of us, and someone she had warned her family about for months now. This is the story of power, influence and justice. This is the story of Yvonne Jonnson. For fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/Aryaan https://www.instagram...
Mar 29, 2025•26 min
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: To 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/join To buy Desi Studios merch, visit...
Mar 23, 2025•23 min
You know that feeling of being young and experiencing your first love? Heightened emotions, the constant need to see them yet feeling your heart flutter when you do, that inability to go to sleep or eat, the hiding from your parents, the first touching of your hands, the first kiss, you get the picture. I know a lot of you listening will relate. There are few experiences as universal as your first love. But what happens when your first love disappears right before your eyes and suddenly, the wor...
Mar 22, 2025•1 hr 2 min
On a quiet summer afternoon in May 2003, something happened in a small apartment in Paper Mill Colony, Lucknow—something so explosive, so tangled in power and passion, that it shook the very core of Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape. It began with a woman. A poet. A name whispered in hushed conversations, laced with scandal, fear, and obsession — Madhumita Shukla. She wasn’t just another aspiring poet; she had ventured deep into a world where power and ambition clashed. This is a story of dece...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 1 min
A mother and her three-year-old daughter vanish without a trace, leaving behind a mystery that would take years to unravel. Pakeeza Yusuf had been trying to escape a troubled relationship, confiding in friends about her fears, while little Jojo was caught in the middle of something far more sinister than anyone realized. It wasn’t until nearly a decade later that investigators uncovered a truth more horrifying than anyone could have imagined. What really happened to Pakeeza and Jojo—and who was ...
Mar 15, 2025•32 min
To watch the full episode, here's the link to YouTube: https://yt.openinapp.co/ChalogeEp1 In this episode, we get into Harish bhai’s auto . He’s adamant that he knows the best Misal Pav spot in Bombay, so we oblige. Aryaan has never eaten it before, so doesn’t know what awaits him him. The tuk tuk ride is laced with auto trivia, fun stories and a Jackie Da cameo! Weclome to the first episode of Chaloge Bhaiya. Chaloge na? Help Harish fund his children's future: upi: harishmbhavsar123-1@okicici F...
Mar 13, 2025•13 min
In February, we hosted our very first live event at Apple BKC, Mumbai. But if you couldn’t attend, don’t fret. Here is the recording of the live Desi Crime episode. A quiet home in New Jersey became the site of an unspeakable horror—two innocent lives lost in a single, chilling night. An IT professional's wife, and their young son, found slain in what seemed like a brutal act of vengeance. No forced entry, no clear suspect, just eerie silence and unanswered questions. What really happened behind...
Mar 09, 2025•35 min
Watch the full show on YouTube: https://yt.openinapp.co/ChalogeBhaiyaEp1 Autos crawl across Bombay like ants, obedient as our blood in their blind circuit of hacked roads. 4.5 lakh ricks are there to attend to your flailing hand in this city. 450,000 autos have 450,000 stories. The romanticization of the auto often obscures the stories of the autowallahs. Chaloge Bhaiya is a show where you hear conversations that no podcast features, food no blogger writes about, stories no one tells. We get int...
Mar 07, 2025•2 min
This episode was shot and recorded on the new iPhone 16 Pro. The Desi Crime Podcast has always been recorded on professional pod mics, but the new iPhone 16 Pro’s Audio Mix feature is game changing for new and seasoned podcasters alike! With the 4 studio quality mics, audio recordings sound like they’re right out of a studio. 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...
Mar 03, 2025•29 min
The team here at Desi Studios went on a retreat to Goa. So naturally, Bloody Mary was there with us in spirit. As a ghost. And as a beverage. Welcome to a very different episode of Chai and Chithi where Aishwarya and Aryaan get hammered while narrating your favorite stories.DRINK RESPONSIBLYThanks to MyMuse for sorting the prize for this episode: https://mymuse.in/desi YouTube: https://youtu.be/rtQBzwCkTxE?si=T0vE9G6wAkLtE28x Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2zRsjYFVkE0HyFOJnQzlRz?si=fv...
Mar 02, 2025•1 hr 3 min
On the 31st of December 2020, the world was coming together to celebrate the end of what had been an incredibly hard year for everyone around the world. The pandemic had left families in shambles and communities in mourning. But the end of the year almost signified a new beginning, a fresh start and a hope for a better future for everyone, including the Kukrejas. Little did they all know, New Years of 2020 would become the night that changed their lives, the last night they would ever be the sam...
Feb 27, 2025•27 min
A murder involves a murderer, the murdered, a murder weapon and more often than not, a motive. This template is true for most cases covered on our podcast. But where there is a rule, there is an exception. The case we have for you today is such an exception. This case has a murder, but no murder weapon, no motive, and no murderer. This is the story of a 22 year old girl that shook the city of Philadelphia, this is the story of Nadia Malik. For fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www....
Feb 24, 2025•49 min
Evil can be anywhere and everyone. It can lurk in the shadows of your own home or your neighborhood. It can watch from a distance as you go about your day or it can stare at you right in your face. And most times, we don’t realize we came so close to evil till it’s already too late. For the victim in today’s story, that is exactly what happened. As this 7 year old went about his day, evil watched and in an instant, life for a family changed forever. This is the story of that 7 year old and a hun...
Feb 22, 2025•28 min
If there is any one thing common to all humans, regardless of race or age or ethnicity or the time period in which we lived, it is our longing for freedom. Freedom from coercion, freedom from oppression, freedom to choose, freedom to live. But sometimes, this freedom comes at a cost, a cost we don’t even know we need to pay until it's far too late. Freedom is all one 17 year old Pakistani British girl longed for and freedom is what she never got. This is the story of that one 17 year old. This i...
Feb 15, 2025•47 min
Valentine's is all about being lovey dovey. But not all dates turn out like that. Some can be creepy, or outright horrid. Today's episode is a collection of just that. The scariest dating stories you have ever heard. Also, if you want to ensure your dates go well, visit My Muse and use CODE: DESI10 to get 10% off your *fun* order. https://mymuse.in/desiTo send us your scary stories to read, write to us at staydesi [at] thedesistudios [dot] com. For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, s...
Feb 13, 2025•45 min
For over a decade, Cyanide Mallika preyed on women in Karnataka, luring them with promises of wealth and spiritual rituals before poisoning them with cyanide-laced food or water. She would convince her victims to remove their jewelry for a cleansing ritual, then kill them and flee with their valuables. Her crimes went unnoticed until 2007, when investigators linked a series of similar deaths, leading to her arrest. But was Mallika the only woman in India’s history to kill this way—or just the on...
Feb 08, 2025•42 min
One bathtub, three dead bodies, a marriage in turmoil and a feverish lover. The house on 20 Grass Tree Close, Bridgman Downs, Queensland, Australia holds all the answers. Who is behind Queensland's largest ever investigation? 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/join For fastest updates, follow our socials at: https://www.instagram.com/desicrime/ A...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Want to watch us live in Mumbai? Sign up for a live Desi Crime at Apple BKC on the link below: http://apple.co/desi-crime 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: To 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...
Feb 01, 2025•42 min
The case that we have for you today is one that India took a long time to make peace with. With the heinous nature of the murder, the gory details of the crime, all recorded on video tape by the authorities for the first time in the Indian judicial system and the incredibly high profile lives of the people involved, this case shook the country. This is the story of the granddaughter of the Dewan of Mysore, whose glorious life came to a crashing end in a way that can only be described as people's...
Jan 25, 2025•33 min
In 2007, a young couple from Haryana, Manoj and Babli, dared to defy their families and khap traditions by marrying within the same gotra, sparking outrage in their conservative community. However, their pursuit of freedom came under threat when Babli’s family accused Manoj of abduction, setting off a chilling chain of events. For extra episodes, early access, silly bloopers, subscribe at: https://www.patreon.com/thedesistudios or join our YouTube family https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbfV0Yv...
Jan 18, 2025•47 min
Usually, when we cover cases on this podcast, we talk of the stories of a singular victim. A woman raped, a man murdered, a child kidnapped. And that one victim’s story is enough to enrage us; to make us feel sorrow and anger. But what happens when crime organizes itself across a whole city, engulfing more than 500 victims, destroying lives and scarring generations? This is the story of one such crime that has somehow been erased from our common psyche; this is the story of the Ajmer sex scandal...
Jan 11, 2025•28 min
Visit My Muse and use CODE: DESI10 to get 10% off your *fun* order. https://mymuse.in/desi 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: To 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 htt...
Jan 04, 2025•48 min
Visit My Muse and use CODE: DESI10 to get 10% off your *fun* order. https://mymuse.in/desi The longer we run this podcast, the more we come across crimes that begin online. They begin in a world of dating apps and one night stands, where lies, deception, and scams run rampant; in a world where you may not know who you’re talking to until it’s already too late. This is the story of one such crime that began online in 2018 and went on to shake Jaipur, and the country. This is the story of India’s ...
Dec 28, 2024•57 min
To push the police to re-examine Vishal's case, sign the petition on: https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-vishal-mehrotra-494a8b11-7ab5-45e7-9b97-f30c3dda9378 If you or anyone you know have information on Vishal's case, reach out to the family on: vishalmehrotrajustice@gmail.com In the early winter months of 1982, the dead body of 8 year old Vishal Mehrotra was found in the haunting woods of the UK. This was 7 months after Vishal had mysteriously vanished on the day of the Royal Wedding between...
Dec 21, 2024•39 min
On the 29th of July 1981, 750 million people from across the world were watching a wedding from their television screens. More than 2 million people stood on the streets of London all the way from the Royal Residence at Clarence House to St. Paul’s Cathedral to witness what seemed like a match made by God himself– the people’s princess, Lady Diana Spencer was marrying the heir to the world’s most influential monarchies, Prince Charles III. As all of Britain celebrated and people took to the stre...
Dec 14, 2024•34 min
Two powerful brothers, Ponty and Hardeep Chadha, turned a family empire into a battleground on a fateful November day in 2012. A dispute over a sprawling farmhouse in Delhi spiraled into a violent shootout, leaving both brothers dead and the nation stunned. Behind the facade of wealth and success lay a story of betrayal, ambition, and unchecked greed that tore a dynasty apart. How did a sibling rivalry descend into bloodshed, shaking the foundations of one of India’s most influential families? V...
Dec 08, 2024•37 min
Murder shakes communities and multiple murders break them. When the house next door, home to a happy and loving family, turns into the site of multiple brutal murders, hope and happiness are hard to find in the homes that surround it. This was what happened to a small, tight knit community of homes in Pune in 1994 when 7 people were found brutally murdered inside Flat No 6 of Himanshu Apartments. This is the story of that one day and those 7 people. This is the story of the Rathi family. Visit W...
Nov 30, 2024•31 min
When British teen Scarlett Keeling was found lifeless on a beach in Goa, the case shocked the world. What initially seemed like an accidental drowning unraveled into a web of lies and chilling revelations about the dark underbelly of paradise. Who was trying to cover up the truth, and why? Join us as we dive deep into this heartbreaking case that raises questions about justice, corruption, and safety in a traveler’s haven. Visit Whole Truth Foods and use CODE: DESI20 to get 20% off your order. h...
Nov 23, 2024•39 min
