An area in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, has left its women terrified. They fear stepping out of their homes and avoid going out to the fields. As evening falls, they shut their doors, gripped by the fear of a death that strikes mysteriously, leaving no trace. We're talking about a region in Bareilly where over the past few months, over half a dozen women have been brutally killed.
No Trace of the Killer
On July 1, 2023, the first killing occurred in Anandpur village under the Shahi police station when 55-year-old Premwati was strangled with her own saree's pallu. Despite investigations, the police found no leads.
Six Women Murdered One by One
Over the next five months, killings continued sporadically in various Bareilly villages, reaching a count of six. Each victim was a woman aged 50 to 60, killed with their saree's pallu or scarf. Despite separate investigations for each case, the police could not find the killer.
Cases Gather Dust in Police Thanas
During these five months, although police solved three other murders, the six mysterious cases remained unsolved. The last such murder was eight months ago in November 2023, leaving families seeking justice while the case files gathered dust in police stations.
2 July 2024, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh
Eight months later, a similar killing has occurred, alerting the police. Again in the Shahi police station area, a woman, 45-year-old Anita, was strangled with her saree's pallu.
Identical Method for All Murders
Right from the second or third killing, evidence suggested a serial killer was behind these murders, each following an identical pattern: same weapon, same age group. The media has consistently linked these murders to a serial killer theory.
Initially, Bareilly police did not consider these killings as serial murders, investigating them separately. However, after the latest killing, which involved the same modus operandi, the matter reached police headquarters in Lucknow, urging a reconsideration.
How Some Women's Lives Could Have Been Saved
Had the police woken up to the possibility of a serial killer a year earlier, perhaps many women could have been saved. Not until after a full year did the police produce sketches of the suspected serial killer.
Source: aajtak
Two Sketches Match Each Other
The police released sketches, based on witnesses' descriptions from villages near the crime scenes. In two out of three sketches, the killer's features match - wide forehead, short hair, round face, big eyes, and flat nose, wearing a check shirt.
Sketch No. 1 and No.2
Both sketches show a broad forehead, short or sparse hair, a round face, large eyes, and a check shirt.
Sketch No. 3
The third sketch shows a killer with well-groomed hair, a thin, long nose, a square face, and a round-neck T-shirt.
A Year of Open, Unsolved Murders
The clues suggest the involvement of one or two serial killers in these women’s murders. Despite clues, the persistent negligence or lack of understanding from Bareilly police allowed the serial killer to roam free for a year.
Reviewing the murders from the past year shows they align with serial killing traits: each targeted woman is from the same age group, killed near sugarcane fields, with no sexual assault or robbery evidence. Family members have ruled out enmity, pointing to a psycho killer’s motives.
Only Women Targeted by the Killer
Although nobody knows the killer's identity or motive, his victims are always elderly women, never men or younger females. The pattern of killings and the identical murder method strongly suggests a serial killer.
Identical Murder Method and Weapon
The targeted women’s families reveal their bodies were found in isolated areas, all strangled with a scarf or similar item. The consistent age group of the victims and the identical method confirm a serial killing pattern.
No Identifiable Motive Found by Police
The baffling aspect is the lack of motive. No sexual assaults or robberies were involved, making the intended motive elusive. Families also deny enmity, leaving the police struggling to solve the cases, further cementing the serial killer theory.
No Motive: Not Enmity, Rape, or Loot
While investigating, police failed to find any motive like enmity, rape or robbery, adding to the complexity of solving these murders. Typical serial killings driven by unstable psyches align with this kill-for-no-reason behavior, confirming the pattern observed over the months.
Fear in 90 Villages – A Notorious Killer
The mysterious serial killer has cast a shadow of fear over approximately 90 villages in three police jurisdictions in Bareilly. Women are haunted by fear, hesitant to step out alone, disrupting farming and confining residents to their homes.
Police Mobilize After One Year
The continued killings prompted police to recognize a serial killer was at work, leading the DGP to order sketches and the launch of a full-scale hunt. Suspect sketches have been circulated extensively on social media and posted in public areas.
14 Police Teams Deployed
A year later, Bareilly Police have mobilized 14 teams, seven in uniform and seven in plain clothes, to hunt the serial killer. Various methods, including checkpoints, drone searches, and monitoring footage, are being employed to track down the elusive murderer.
