Welcome to Chai and Chithi, a segment where we take fan stories mailed in to us, as well as share some of our more personal ghastly experiences. Mail in your spooky, crime or desi stories to desicrime@thebranchmedia.org.
98. The Death of Geetika Sharma
Over the last decade, India has been home to a slew of unexpected, scandalous and devastating suicides with sinister back stories. These suicides, those of Jiya Khan, Pratyusha Banjerjee, Sushant Singh Rajput, Tunisha Sharma and more, weren’t just stories of people who gave up on ...Show more
Qandeel Baloch grew up in a conservative village in Pakistan called Shah Sadar Din, a place where it was shocking to see a woman swimming outdoors. She ran away from home, changed her name from Fouzia Azeem, auditioned for Pakistan Idol, and eventually became “Pakistan’s first so ...Show more
How novelists working across popular genres like crime, horror and fantasy are overcoming literary snobbery to get their work the credit it deserves and broaden the definition of what makes truly great writing. South Korean horror writer Bora Chung, shortlisted for the 2022 Inter ...Show more
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been jailed for 14 years after being convicted of illegally profiting from state gifts. It’s the second sentence handed to Pakistan's former prime minister in two days. Khan, who was ousted as PM by his opponents in 2022, was already servi ...Show more
Christina Lamb is chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Times and travels the world reporting from war zones and hot spots, speaking not just to key protagonists but also seeking out and detailing the daily impact of conflict on civilians.An only child, and brought up in Car ...Show more