Hemant Modi, convicted in the 2005 Naroda murder case, not only changed his first name but also kept changing his surname to blend in with various social and business circles, police said.

Ahmedabad: For 12 years, Hemant Nagindas Modi, 53, treated identity change like a costume change. According to the Ahmedabad Crime Branch, the murder convict – who came out of parole in 2014 – lived under different names while quietly pursuing a career in films, television serials and theatre. The former lawyer convicted in the 2005 Naroda murder case kept changing not only his first name but also his surname to blend in with various social and business circles, police said.“He had more than 12 identities. He had Spandan Modi, Spandan Joshi, Spandan Vyas, Hemang Modi, Hemang Vyas, Hemang Vaishnav, Hemang Kumar, Spandan Kumar and others,” said a senior crime branch officer. “He kept changing his name and changing his look to appear on the small and big screens.”Officials said Modi allegedly devised his surnames according to the caste background of producers, directors or theater contacts. This without a doubt helped him move forward in the entertainment industry.Interestingly, after being released on parole, he did not shy away from changing his identity. “He started dabbling in theater during his college days. He first adopted the name ‘Spandan Modi’ between 1998 and 2001 when he developed a fascination for art and culture.”Police said the theater failed to provide financial stability and he started taking up law as a profession.However, before he could establish himself as a lawyer, Modi was booked for murder and rioting. On 15 June 2005, two groups clashed near Azad Chowk late at night following a dispute over an allegedly illegal staircase and common path in Naroda’s Parshvanath Township. According to the FIR, Hemant Modi, his brother and several associates attacked Narendra alias Nanno Kamble with a sword, iron pipe and baseball bat. Kamble died of his injuries and all the accused were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008.He was lodged in Sabarmati jail, where he witnessed the murder of gangster Chetan Patel alias ‘Chetan Battery’ in the premises in 2012. Due to security reasons the authorities shifted him to Mehsana jail. In July 2014, the Gujarat High Court granted him parole for 30 days, but he never returned to jail.Police said he initially stayed in Patan and quietly moved to Gujarat’s theater circuit and later joined Mumbai’s entertainment industry. During his years as a fugitive, Modi defied expectations by appearing in Gujarati and Hindi television shows, web series and big-budget films while remaining invisible to the police.Police said he has worked in Hindi films, including ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’, ‘Metro in Dino’ and Malayalam film ‘L2: Empuraan’.Crime branch officials said their breakthrough came after specific intelligence was received that Modi had recently returned to Ahmedabad, assuming that enough time had passed for him to roam around unnoticed. He was arrested from a rented house near Ghikanta metro station on Wednesday.