In 2008, 13-year-old Aarushi Talwar, and her family’s servant, Hemraj Banjade, were found dead in their home in Noida, India. More than a decade later, the case remains unsolved.
Directed by P.A. Carter (“Inside The Storm”), the two-part documentary Behind Closed Doors examines the mystery of the double murder, which sparked a media frenzy and continues to haunt the nation today.
Part one of Behind Closed Doors debuts Tuesday, July 16 (8:00-9:20 p.m. ET/PT), followed by part two the following night, Wednesday, July 17 (8:00-9:20 p.m. ET/PT).
Behind Closed Doors is the second installment in HBO’s trilogy of two-part crime documentaries debuting on successive Tuesday and Wednesday nights this July. The series kicks off with Erin Lee Carr’s “I Love You, Now Die” on July 9 and 10 and concludes with Liz Garbus’ “Who Killed Garrett Phillips?” on July 23 and 24.
On the morning of May 16, 2008, 13-year-old Aarushi Talwar was found murdered in her bed in Noida, India, a bustling city adjacent to New Delhi. As her parents grieved, their male live-in domestic servant, Hemraj Banjade, became the police’s prime suspect.
Initially, investigators believed that Hemraj had fled to his native Nepal, but when his body was found on the Talwars’ rooftop terrace, the investigation turned to other immigrant domestic workers in the community, and eventually to the Talwars themselves. After more than a decade, multiple twists and turns and three investigations later, troubling questions remain about what happened the night Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj Banjade died.
Featuring interviews with family and friends of the victims, as well as journalists, investigators and attorneys, Behind Closed Doors reconstructs the case, from the discovery of the murders, to the initial missteps by local police, the hurried transfer of the case to India’s Central Bureau of Investigation, the use of dubious interrogation techniques, the sensational criminal trial and the multiple legal appeals.
The documentary explores how class divisions and cultural biases clouded the search for answers, which remain elusive today.