Boasting about crime led to arrest of Bareilly ‘serial killer’

Police were able to close in on the ‘serial killer of Bareilly’, a man accused of murdering at least nine women in span of 13 months, after he allegedly boasted about the crime at a tea stall, reports quoting police said.

The 35-year-old accused, identified as Kuldeep Kumar, has confessed to having killed six of the nine women, aged between 42 and 60 years, following his arrest. The murders happened in different villages under Shahi and Sheeshgarh police station limits between June 2023 and July 2024.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya said Kuldeep was apprehended with the help of sketches and CCTV camera footage. The arrest followed an intensive investigation involving the review of CCTV camera footage, deployment of decoys, and analysis of mobile data, he said.

How cops caught killer?

According to police, it took 22 different teams and 13 months of marathon searches to find him.

Describing how the investigating teams after repeated failures were able to trace him, Hindustan Times, quoting a senior police official said the breakthrough came almost a week before his arrest when a person shared an audio clip with a police personnel.

In the audio, recorded at a tea stall, an unidentified person was reportedly heard boasting about the women he had killed while mocking the police for not being able to catch him.

“The informer said the suspect seemed to be somewhat mentally unstable and was behaving in a very odd manner. He informed that the suspect was boasting about murders committed by him while sipping tea at the stall. The suspect was also making fun of the police that they were not able to arrest him even after so much effort,” the police personnel told HT.

The officer said police were able to nab Kuldeep after preparing three sketches of him based on the description provided by the informer and other people at the tea stall and circulating those in the area.

A reward of ₹25,000 was also announced for the police team that apprehended the killer

Operation Talash

Kuldeep reportedly did not resist during arrest and has confessed to having killed six women.

During interrogation, he told police that he was troubled by his stepmother, who abused him and had tried to strangle him.

"In 2023 and 2024, mainly in the Shahi and Sheeshgarh areas of Bareilly district, incidents of strangulation of six middle-aged women in the forest at isolated/deserted places had come to light. Murder cases were registered in connection with these incidents at Shahi and Sheeshgarh police stations," SSP Arya told reporters on Saturday.

Arya said the police had set up a war room and named the campaign "Operation Talash" for which 22 teams were formed, selecting skilled officers for the investigation.

"The teams reviewed footage from around 1,500 CCTV cameras, installed 600 new cameras, and deployed officers in uniform and plainclothes to continuously monitor the area, interact with the public, and raise awareness," he said.

In addition, teams were sent to states such as Maharashtra to study the modus operandi of previously uncovered criminals.

The surveillance team analysed data from approximately 1.5 lakh mobile numbers and monitored individuals from voter lists of nearby villages.

Consultations with clinical psychology experts were also conducted to understand the behaviour of such criminals, he said.

"Decoys were used in the investigation, and body-worn and hidden cameras deployed. A detailed plan was prepared using Google Maps to cover the areas surrounding Shahi police station," Arya said.

'Accused a victim of domestic abuse'

The senior officer said Kumar was a resident of Bakarganj Sanuwa village in Nawabganj.

"He (the suspected killer) targeted women in the Shahi and Sheeshgarh areas, initially proposing sexual relations and then strangling them if they refused. The police took Kuldeep to the crime scenes for detailed questioning," Arya said.

Kuldeep revealed during interrogation that his family was involved in farming. His father passed away and his mother died when he was young.

He was deeply troubled by the behaviour of his stepmother, who abused him and tried to strangle him in disputes, the police said.

This led him to develop violent tendencies towards women, making him a serial killer. Kumar has a married sister. He was married to a Bengali woman who described his behaviour as violent and prone to arguments, the police said.

"All the victims were middle-aged women whom he targeted after prolonged interaction," the police officer said.

Kumar had no personal vehicle and travelled on foot, using public transport, the Bareilly police chief said.

"He targeted women who were alone and often did not use mobile phones, which delayed his capture," he remarked.

After his arrest, the police recreated the crime scene and recovered various items from Kumar, including an ID card of a deed woman, lipstick, pieces of clothing, and other personal items of the victims.

(With inputs from agencies)