Ahmedabad: For 12 years, 53-year-old Hemant Nagindas Modi treated identity like a costume change. The murder convict — who jumped parole in 2014 — lived under a string of different names while quietly building a career in films, television serials and theatre, according to the Ahmedabad Crime Branch. The former advocate, convicted in a 2005 Naroda murder case, kept changing not just his first name but even his surname to blend into different social and professional circles, said police.“He had more than 12 identities. He went by 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 names and altered his looks to keep appearing on the small and big screen.”The officers said that Modi allegedly tailored his surnames according to the caste background of the producers, directors, or theatre contacts. It helped him move through the entertainment industry without attracting suspicion.Interestingly, he did not fall back on changing his identity after jumping parole. “He began dabbling in theatre during his college days. He first adopted the name ‘Spandan Modi’ between 1998 and 2001 when he developed a fascination for art and culture.”Theatre failed to provide financial stability and he began pursuing law as a profession, said police.However, before he could establish himself as a lawyer, Modi was booked for murder and rioting. On June 15, 2005, two groups clashed near Azad Chowk late at night after a dispute over an allegedly illegal staircase and common passage in Naroda’s Parshwanath Township. According to the FIR, Hemant Modi, his brother and several associates attacked Narendra alias Nanno Kamble with swords, iron pipes, and baseball bats. Kamble succumbed to 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’ on the premises in 2012. Authorities shifted him to Mehsana jail for security reasons. In July 2014, the Gujarat high court granted him 30 days’ parole, but he never returned to prison.Police said he initially stayed in Patan and quietly moved into Gujarat’s theatre circuit and later assimilated into Mumbai’s entertainment industry. During his years as a fugitive, Modi defied expectations by appearing on Gujarati and Hindi television shows, web series, and big-budget movies, even while remaining invisible to police.Police said he worked in Hindi movies, including “Thugs of Hindostan”, “Jayeshbhai Jordaar”, “Metro In Dino”, and the Malayalam film “L2: Empuraan”.Crime Branch officials said their breakthrough came after specific intelligence suggested Modi had recently returned to Ahmedabad, believing enough time had passed for him to move around unnoticed. He was arrested from a rented house near Gheekanta Metro Station on Wednesday.
