Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Bollywood Actress Priya Rajvansh Murdered in Bungalow She Inherited
Priya Rajvansh was an actress in Bollywood, India's big movie industry.
She acted mainly in movies made by her partner, a filmmaker named Chetan Anand.
The two never married, but he left her part of his big house when he died in 1997.
After he died, there was a fight over who owned the house.
Three years later, in March 2000, Priya was hurt very badly inside that house.
She had asked a helper to warm some milk, and in the few minutes the helper was gone, someone attacked her.
The police believed the fight over the house was the reason she was hurt.
Four people, including Chetan Anand's two sons, were sent to prison for life.
Later, the sons were allowed to leave prison on bail while a higher court reviewed their case.
Even today, many questions remain about exactly what happened that night.
Priya Rajvansh, known for her role as Heer in 'Heer Raanjha', was found murdered inside her Juhu bungalow in Mumbai on the night of March 27, 2000.
Rajvansh had a decades-long relationship with filmmaker Chetan Anand, who never married her but left her a share of the bungalow after his death in 1997.
On the night of her death, Rajvansh asked a maid to warm milk; when the maid returned minutes later, she had suffered head injuries and had been strangled.
In July 2002, a Mumbai sessions court sentenced Ketan Anand, Vivek Anand, Mala Choudhary and Ashok Chinnaswamy to life imprisonment for the murder.
Prosecutors alleged an inheritance dispute over the bungalow was the motive; Ketan and Vivek were granted bail and the Bombay High Court agreed to hear their appeals in 2011.
- Who
- Priya Rajvansh, a Bollywood actress, was the victim; Chetan Anand's sons Ketan Anand and Vivek Anand, along with household employees Mala Choudhary and Ashok Chinnaswamy, were convicted.
- What
- Rajvansh was attacked and strangled inside her own bungalow after asking a maid to warm milk for her.
- When
- On the night of March 27, 2000; convictions were handed down on July 31, 2002.
- Where
- Her bungalow at Ruia Park, Juhu, Mumbai.
- Why
- The prosecution alleged that a dispute over the bungalow, which Rajvansh partly inherited after Chetan Anand's death, was the motive for the killing.
Police and Prosecution View
Defense and Family View
Sequence of Events That Night
Police and Prosecution View
Police officials disputed aspects of Ketan Anand's account as they reconstructed the sequence of events on the night of the murder.
Defense and Family View
Ketan Anand said he had been at the bungalow waiting for Priya to get ready for a party and that hosts later telephoned to ask why she had not arrived.
Motive Behind the Killing
Police and Prosecution View
Prosecutors alleged the inheritance dispute over the bungalow drove the murder, citing Priya's handwritten notes and a letter to Vijay Anand that revealed her fears and anxiety.
Defense and Family View
Ketan rejected speculation surrounding the family and argued that conclusions should not be drawn before the investigation and medical evidence were complete.
Guilt and Appeal
Police and Prosecution View
The trial court convicted all four accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment on July 31, 2002.
Defense and Family View
Ketan and Vivek Anand were granted bail, and in 2011 the Bombay High Court agreed to hear their appeals, leaving the convictions open to review.
- Victim
- Priya Rajvansh (born Vera Sunder Singh)
- Date of Murder
- March 27, 2000
- Location
- Ruia Park bungalow, Juhu, Mumbai
- Cause of Death
- Strangulation and injuries to the head
- Career
- Appeared in seven films between 1964 and 1986, all directed by Chetan Anand
- Defining Role
- Heer in 'Heer Raanjha' (1970)
- Sentence
- Life imprisonment for all four accused, July 31, 2002
- Appeal Status
- Ketan and Vivek Anand granted bail; Bombay High Court agreed to hear appeals in 2011