The Indian ‘Jack the Ripper’
Mumbai in the 60s’ was a mythical place for Indians who stayed in the small towns and villages strewn across India. With its glamor and glitz, a nascent but thriving movie industry, and millions of Indians moving to the ‘City of Dreams’ to live their life, Mumbai was the darling of small town India.
However, lurking in the shadows was India’s first and probably most notorious serial killer, who preyed on and attacked the countless nameless and faceless homeless individuals who dwelled on the footpaths of the city.
His modus operandi was simple. Using a large stone or an iron rod, he would often bludgeon his victims to death. This blatant set of killings put the entire city on high alert. Not knowing what they were against, a wave of terror swept through the city. Men guarded these slum dwellings often armed with clubs of their own to protect against an attack.
He was eventually arrested by the Mumbai police after witnesses gave their descriptions. It turns out that he had been earlier arrested for robbery and sentenced to five years. He had also raped and stabbed his sister to death, however, there was no evidence to suggest that he was involved, and wasn’t charged with the murders.
After being detained, he confessed to the murders but only after a particular wish was granted, which was to eat chicken curry. After he ate, he confessed to murdering around 40 individuals, and also took the Mumbai police to the scene of the crime for reenactment.
There were conflicting reports to suggest his state of mental health. Earlier interviews and tests suggested that was of a sound mental state with very little basic education and average intelligence. Later reports suggested that he was a paranoid schizophrenic who didn’t understand his actions were wrong or unlawful. He constantly made claims about other worlds, how he belonged to the world of the ‘law’ and how the government tried to put homosexual tendencies into him.
He was sentenced to life in prison and died in 1995.
