The quiet rural areas of Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district are gripped with fear as the specter of a possible serial killer looms large. Over the past 13 months, nine women from the same age group have been found brutally murdered in a disturbingly similar fashion, sparking widespread alarm and intense police scrutiny.
All nine victims, women aged between 40 and 65, were strangled to death, with most killed using their own sarees. The murders occurred in the Shahi, Sheeshgarh, and Shergarh police station areas, which are adjacent to each other. Each time, the bodies were discovered in sugarcane fields, their clothes disheveled but with no signs of sexual assault, leading investigators to believe the killings were carried out by the same person or group.
The wave of murders began last year, with eight women killed between June and November. Three of the murders occurred in June, followed by one each in July, August, October, and two in November. The sheer brutality and similarity of the crimes prompted the deployment of 300 additional police officers, divided into 14 teams of uniformed and plainclothes officers, to patrol the region and monitor known criminals. This heightened police presence seemed to stem the tide of killings, bringing a brief sense of relief to the area.
However, the calm was shattered in July when another woman, 45-year-old Anita, was found murdered in a sugarcane field, her body bearing the same telltale signs. Anita, a resident of Bhujiya Jagir village in Shergarh, had gone to her maternal home in Fatehganj’s Khirka village. On July 2, she left to withdraw money from a bank, but her lifeless body was later discovered, revealing she had been strangled with her saree.
This latest murder has intensified suspicions among the police that a serial killer could be responsible for all nine deaths. High-ranking officials, including Additional Director General of Police Ramit Sharma, Inspector General Rakesh Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya, and Superintendent of Police Manush Pareek, have personally visited the crime scene to assess the situation.
In response, the police have released sketches of three suspects based on information gathered from locals in the affected areas. They have also provided phone numbers for the public to report any leads, including 9554402549 and 9258256969 for the office of the Superintendent of Police (South), Bareilly.
SP (South) Manush Pareek commented, “A woman’s body was found in a sugarcane field in the Shahi police station area on July 2. A case has been registered, and numerous teams are working on the investigation. We are closely examining whether this murder is connected to the previous killings.”
The police have ramped up efforts, with increased patrols, checkpoints, and advisories issued to villages, urging residents to stay vigilant. Pareek added, “We are determined to uncover who is behind these murders and bring them to justice.”
The people of Bareilly remain on edge, hoping for a swift resolution as the police continue their search for the elusive killer.
