UP 'Serial Killer' Nabbed: Kept Lipsticks & Bindis Of Victims, 'Hated' Women After Physical Abuse By Stepmother

A painstaking investigation over one year, 22 dedicated police teams, over 150 searches, tracking 1.5 lakh mobile phone numbers, 24-hour war room: this is what it took for the Uttar Pradesh police to track down a “serial killer”, who allegedly used saris to strangle nine women in Bareilly district.

The unique pattern of the murders, similar style of tying the knots and other evidence helped crack one of the most perplexing murder mysteries, police said. “We have arrested a psycho killer accused of targeting around nine women under Bareilly Shahi and Shishgarh police circle between June 2023 and July 2024. We formed 22 teams and launched operation ‘Talaash’ to track him down,” said Bareilly senior superintendent of police Anurag Arya.

Police identified the accused as 38-year-old Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar, who was arrested on August 8 after an extensive search operation.

Killer kept personal effects of victims as ‘trophy’

According to the police, Gangwar kept the personal effects of the victims as a ‘trophy’ after killing them. Among the items the investigators found after his arrest, were identity cards, bindis, and lipsticks belonging to the women he murdered, the police said.

Police further said Gangwar’s troubled childhood, marked by his father’s remarriage, and the physical abuse his stepmother put him through could have contributed to his killer psychology. “He developed much hate and anger for his stepmother and other women,” said a police officer on condition of anonymity, adding that the accused will undergo a mental health test.

Arya said the police consulted clinical psychologists during the investigation to understand the killer’s pattern. Officials said he targeted women whom he found alone in fields and jungle areas, making sexual advances toward them.

They further said if the women resisted, he would become violent and strangle them. He would prey on vulnerable women in isolated locations, which ultimately led to his arrest, they added.

Out of the 11 murders reported in the region in the last 13 months, the police said Gangwar owned up to six but there is evidence tying him to three more – this makes the total nine.

During the interrogation, Gangwar told police that his father remarried after his mother and two sisters died. “My stepmother would always to beat me, I hated her. I got married in 2014, but my wife left me making me an addict. I hated women to the core and this was the only reason why I decided to eliminate them one by one,” he told the police.

He further said he was aware that the police often traced criminals using their phone location, so he never used a cellphone or social media. “Whenever I would set out for a kill, I would ensure that nobody is around and, in case, someone saw me, I avoided killing that day,” he told police during the questioning.

Asked why he tied a knot around the women’s necks after he strangled them, he said he did that so there was no chance of them surviving.

How it all began

On a swelteringly hot day on June 17, 2023, a murder rocked Dhaneta Fatak area that is under the Shahi police station limits in Bareilly. Until that day, this place was known for a low crime rate. “The deceased woman was identified as Premwati (55), whose body was found in the fields near Dhaneta Fatak on Shishgarh Road. She was found strangled using the sari she was wearing,” a police personnel, who was part of the investigation, told News18.

A few days later on July 23, 2023, the police found another body. The woman was identified as 43-year-old Dhanwati, who was allegedly attacked when she was returning after a trip to the local doctor. She, too, was found strangled using her sari.

Another similar case was reported on October 31, 2023, under Shishgarh police station limits, when 65-year-old Mehmudan was also found strangled. And then, another body, identified to be of 65-year-old Dulari Devi, was also found staged in a similar manner on November 20, 2023.

‘Operation Talaash’

Arya said these killings not only caused panic among the people, especially women, but also posed a challenge for the police. In all the cases, there was no confirmation of sexual assault while the pattern was more or less the same, he said.

“…In all the cases, there was no confirmation of sexual assault in the post-mortem report and the murder pattern was almost the same. So, we launched an operation (Talaash) to arrest the person who seemed to be on a killing spree,” the SSP said.

But, the investigation into the case turned out to be a lot of hard work. The killer was anything but ordinary.

The police operation began by marking a 25-km radius around Shahi and Shishgarh police stations to identify suspects. The police formed 22 teams, each tasked with analysing the call details of at least 1.5 lakh mobile phone numbers, reviewing footage from more than 1,500 CCTV cameras, installing 600 new cameras, and studying the unique modus operandi behind the crimes.

The UP police roped in experts from Mumbai, who specialise in these cases and consulted clinical psychologists. They then zeroed in on the Royal police station area as the killer’s focal point and checked voter ID cards in at least 30 villages around the Shahi police station area.

The police questioned village residents about anyone living in isolation or under stress. Both men and women were scrutinised, leading to the deployment of female cops across all the teams involved in the probe. This helped narrow down the suspect list and eventually led to the killer’s arrest.

The breakthrough

After almost a year’s worth of effort and strong networking, some people reported witnessing the accused committing a murder in Bushiya Jageer village on July 3, 2024. The deceased woman was identified as 46-year-old Anita Devi, who was from Hoshpur village. “The eyewitness helped us in creating the first sketch of the killer,” Arya said.

On August 8, Gangwar was identified and arrested from near the banks of the Mathiya river. The team from the Shahi police station received a tip and identified the suspect based on sketches and videos, the SSP said.