Desi Crime: 20 True Stories of Killers, Kidnappers and Other Sinister Criminals

by Aishwarya Singh, Aryaan Misra

Your true crime fix with a desi spin

From honour killings and cannibalism to corporate espionage and cultish conspiracies, the hosts of India’s most popular true crime podcast, The Desi Crime Podcast, bring you twenty chilling cases from across South Asia – including two never aired before.

Join Aishwarya and Aryaan as they uncover hidden details of infamous cases that grabbed headlines around the world – and those that did not. Dive into the Burari mass suicides; the assassination of the T-Series founder by Mumbai mobsters; the burying alive of a socialite by a false godman; serial killing of 100 boys in Pakistan; Delhi’s abominable tandoor murder and many more.

Rummage through conflicting theories and cold cases with your favourite duo in a brand-new format – let the amateur sleuthing begin!

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[sneha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the Desi Crime podcast, I tune in every week, so when they announced the book, I thought it would have the same attention to detail and focus on unique cases like their podcast. Instead, what you get is a chopped-up version of their old scripts compiled in a very short 250+ page book. Since they have been mainly promoting their book on the pod I thought it would include some new stories with a mix of old a bit more story beyond the origin of the podcast but this entire bok felt like a quick and easy cash grab. Stories were so surface level, a disservice to the original episodes and it has nothing new to offer at all. You are better off just replaying their old episodes on YT or Spotify. So disappointed by this.

[Sweta · Rating 5 out of 5]

*A good first attempt, but surface-level dealings of the cases*

(The reason I am giving it 5 stars here is because I feel a personal connection to these two and want them to succeed.)

I'd like to say that it was a good attempt but the stories were not as detailed as we'd expect from our very own Desi Crime team. It has merits too — the cover is really good, and the format is interesting because it makes you feel like you're conversing with a friend. But that's not really enough to make it a 5-star read.

Maybe for the next book (if at all it's in the pipelines), make it more detailed, guys? Add pictures if you can get the copyrights, add more facts, maps, make it more engaging.

Rooting for you guys here!

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a page-turner.
As a new subscriber to Desi Studios, there were a few cases I have come across in their channel, but several others were new to me.
Personally, I loved the writing format similar to their videos I had seen. Also completely unimportant-but I love the book cover so much.
Keep up the good work, guys!

[Deependra Choudhary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Feels superficial. It's like a school project done by teenagers rather than a true crime book.

[Sabia Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desi Crime by Aishwarya Singh & Aryaan Misra

Are you one of those true crime documentary fanatics?

Don’t get offended !!! I definitely am! 🥶

Desi Crime is a compilation of 20 true crime stories from South Asia, brought together by two of the most popular true crime podcasters. Being someone who devours documentaries, I had already watched or followed many of these cases,stories of murderers, kidnappers, and other chilling figures either on Netflix or through various news sources.

For example, if you remember the most talked-about case of 2018 and have watched House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths, you’ll recognize it here. That eerie question still lingers, was it suicide, murder, or something else entirely? The book includes this case with the same disturbing weight that the documentary carried.

Another case I had seen was Curry and Cyanide, which also appears in this collection. And from across the border, we have the horrifying tale of The 100 Killings of Javed Iqbal from Pakistan.

But the book is not just a repetition of well-known cases. There are several stories I encountered for the first time, deeply unsettling ones. The Deadly Viral Video, again from across the border, is particularly harrowing and left me with chills.

Desi Crime digs into complex themes of honour killings, cannibalism, and ordinary people who transform into cold, calculated criminals.

I believe it's the storytelling that makes this book a must read. Even though I already knew the start and end of several of these cases, the narration still managed to send that familiar shiver down my spine. And that’s exactly what kept me turning the pages until the very end.

Revisiting these cases reminds us that violence isn’t always distant , it can unfold in everyday spaces, among ordinary faces. True crime stories encourage awareness, critical thinking, and empathy for victims. They also challenge us to question systems, patterns, and the psychology behind human cruelty, reminding us that understanding darkness is often the first step toward preventing it.

[Aparna Prabhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

”We're just storytellers - brave are those men and women solving these cases on the ground. And I feel indebted every time someone tells us they caught a train to come see us.”

- Aryaan Misra, Aishwarya Singh (Desi Crime)

The true crime accounts delve into the psychological behaviour that drove the criminals to commit the acts. The testimony of the eye witnesses, investigating officers, the chilling stories of the survivors indicate the meticulous research in presenting a case without compromising on authenticity. Aishwarya and Aryaan's perspectives are integrated in the narration, giving it a different angle.

”This book you hold will allow you to experience each case the way we do first - written out, with our own view of the world filling in the scene, feeling shaken or affected by its dark turns.”

’Desi Crime’ chronicles twenty real life accounts of spine chilling murder cases across the subcontinent that have twisted the moral fabric the society is knit with. The duo's humanness in presenting the incidents is evident in their narration. The occurrences are toned down in an attempt to spare the gory details. The pleas of the families awaiting justice, echo through the pages, serving as a haunting reminder of the power play exercised by influential people.

Whether it was Javed Iqbal lusting over young boys in Pakistan or the psychologically impaired Aurobindo and crime syndicate successfully hunting down Gulshan Kumar, each instance was more horrific than the last.

Being a true crime junkie, I was familiar with some of the cases, but reading Misra's and Singh's thoughts enabled me to view them in a different light.

[Yushika Khandelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I start, I’d like to just say that I’m so mad that Shafelia Ahmed’s murder wasn’t included. I understand that with a book everything is sort of sensitive and a lot of stuff needs to be cut down but that case just hit home and it would’ve just been really nice to see it represented (which is true for every single case you cover though).
Right of the bat, I knew I would be gratified by this book as Aishwarya and Aaryan have this way of presenting stories which don’t just reflect murders but lives, not just one of instances but psychologies of entire societies.
Unlike a lot of other true crime podcasters, a level of respect and sanctity for the victims as well as objectivity is maintained.
The book absolutely did not disappoint and it was lovely to have my favourite voices in paper format.
However, just a sort of general qualm as a reader that would be much appreciated if addressed is about originality. I understand that y’all are normal functioning human beings with lives outside of divulging on old cases, however at certain points, as an avid listener of the podcast reading the book did create a sort of redundancy, it would’ve been great if there were even the tiniest of tells such as additional notes, updates, etc. apart from the format switch. However, the two new cases were quite intriguing.

[Nikhil Kamath · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a true crime aficionado since forever, but I was introduced to the Desi Crime podcast only recently through the book. As someone who has not followed the podcast, the book is a good introduction to it as you get to read about some of the most infamous crime stories from not just India, but also our neighbouring countries. These are stories you may have seen making headlines and even some that might not have caught your attention.

The 20 stories covered in the book span from the 1970s to early to mid-2010s. From Delhi's infamous Tandoor Murder and Burari House of Horrors to the Murder of Qandeel Baloch in Pakistan and to the murder of Yvonne Jonsson in Sri Lanka and Gulshan Kumar's Assassination in Mumbai, you get to read about honour killings, kidnappings, cult conspiracies etc.

All the true crime stories are told from the perspective of the podcast hosts as well as authors of this book Aishwarya Singh and Aryaan Misra. You will get to read small notes in between where they share their thoughts and this will also make you google some of these cases and do your own research.

After reading this book, I will definitely be subscribing to the podcast.

[Sushmita Pedaprolu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Off late, I have been OBSESSED with crime/ murder mysteries. So when I came across a story about this book, I was thrilled - Crime in the country and continent I live in is something that I am oddly quite fascinated by because it sometimes comes with cultural nuances and motives that are unique to the land. This book has 20 such crime stories and it's handpicked from the authors' work on their Desi Crime Podcast (which I discovered only because of this book!).

I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved Aryaan's narration - you just want to keep listening to him for hours.

You do wish the authors went a little deeper with the research on the stories. But having a soft corner for crime makes me a biased reader (or rather a listener). I mean, I love CID so who am I to judge? 😛

[Vivi the reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed with this read.
Having binge-watched most of the Desi crime YouTube videos, this book just felt like a watered-down version of those scripts.
There’s really nothing in this book that isn’t already covered in their podcast or YouTube channel.
I also felt that the length of each chapter didn’t do justice to the cases.
The details just weren’t enough, in my opinion.

I was gifted a free copy and this is my honest review.

[Pooja Prabhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a concise and Beautifully narrated one. I heard an audio narration on AUdibel, and since I follow the Desi Crime poddcast, I loved thier syle of narration. I can imagine that the book, as a physical copy, is just as intresting and well writtern. Would highly recommend this. It covers a few cases that are probably forgotten today or were not as hyped up by the media to gain enough noteriety.

Loved it!

[Indah Jamtani · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is really a 2.5 star book.. the stories are just recycled stories without new or in depth information or analysis. Consumed it through audible so it just felt like re listening to the original podcast. But hey their performances were excellent despite redundancy in a few instances.
Another star for the effort and hard work.. so all in all 3.5 stars

[Adwita · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a loyal desi fan, I hoped this would be as unique as their podcast.
this book however did not hit in the right places, mainly cause of the lack of details and old scripts.
Most of these chapters are available in the podcast for free with almost the same script.


I love desi crime and I love both of them but reader me doesnt approve.

[Rajesh Pankaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short description of some infamous crime stories -- some were known, some were not. Presented well in a nutshell.

[Tavishi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a huge fan of this podcast, i loved reading about these cases but i wouldnt recommend it as its just a transcript of the actual podcast episodes already released lmao

[Devaishi Tiwari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mainly bought this to support my favourite Indian podcast duo. The book is just the transcript of the podcast episodes + some extra cases (too few for my liking). There were around 5 cases that were new and I could just read those.

The book is pretty average with simple writing, but that makes it an easy book to finish cause it flows (if you are into true crime)

[Vinit Somaskandan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the cases discussed were actually very disturbing. I had to stop in the middle at around case 5 or 6 as I was getting too disturbed.
Great read if you’re into this sort of stuff.

[Swatilekha Majumdar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am an avid listener to the Desi Crime Podcast on YouTube. When the channel announced the book, my hands were itching to get a hand on it. With loads of expectations pinned on this, I was utterly disappointed that the cases were just the published version of the scripts that the podcast was. I mean it added nothing new to the old cases that were covered, no new information or pictures. I would have still enjoyed the old cases if it had some new never before released (atleast during the recording of the podcast episode) information and pictures for the readers to connect to the victims and the case. I could have just revisited the cases on YouTube rather than spend money on this book (and maybe picked up another book to buy).