Dhananjoy Chatterjee was born on August 14, 1965, in Kuludihi, a village in West Bengal, India. He grew up in a rural area with a simple lifestyle. Not much is known about his childhood or family background, but he was raised in a typical Indian household. Dhananjoy later moved to Kolkata, where he worked as a security guard.

Hetal Parekh, an 18-year-old student, was found dead in her home in Bhawanipore, Kolkata, on March 5, 1990. On that day, she had left for her ICSE examination in the morning. After the exam,Hetal returned home in the afternoon, where she and her mother were the only ones present. Hetal's mother later went to a nearby temple.

When she returned, she could not enter her flat. Despite knocking repeatedly, she was unable to get a response from Hetal. This led her to ask nearby workers to break the door open. Once inside, they discovered Hetal lying on the floor near the door, covered in blood. Local doctors confirmed she was dead.

Dhananjoy Chatterjee, who was a security guard for the building, was not seen after the murder. This raised suspicions, and he soon became the main suspect in the investigation. The police arrested him from his village on May 12, 1990.

The case was handled by the Kolkata Police’s Detective Department. The police prepared a chargesheet that included murder, rape, and theft of Hetal's wristwatch. Since there were no eyewitnesses, the case relied on circumstantial evidence. Dhananjoy was convicted of all charges and sentenced to death by the sessions court. His conviction and sentence were upheld by higher courts, which described the crime as exceptionally serious.

Throughout the trial, Dhananjoy maintained his innocence. He claimed he had no involvement in Hetal's murder, rape, or theft.

Dhananjoy's execution was first scheduled for June 25, 2004, but it was postponed after his family filed a mercy plea. Despite a campaign led by notable figures to ensure his execution took place, human rights groups opposed it. Eventually, his plea for mercy was rejected on August 4, 2004.

Dhananjoy was executed by hanging on August 14, 2004, becoming the first person to be judicially executed in India in the 21st century. His family refused to claim his body, which was later cremated.