Bareilly: Cops nab serial killer after deaths of nine women in 13 months
A serial killer, Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar, was arrested for the murder of nine women near Bareilly over 13 months. His arrest followed an extensive police operation.
In the quiet fields surrounding Bareilly, a shadow of fear loomed over the past year. Women working alone in fields or venturing into wooded areas disappeared, their bodies later discovered strangled -- a grim signature left by a killer who seemed to strike at will.
Over 13 months, nine women, aged 42 to 60, fell victim to what police now say was a single perpetrator, whose killing spree came to an end thanks to a chance tip last month.
The Uttar Pradesh Police identified the accused as 38-year-old Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar, who was apprehended on Thursday following an extensive search operation dubbed “Operation Talash,” according to district police officials. Gangwar, they added, has owned up to six murders, while there is evidence tying him to three more.
“The accused targeted women whenever he found them alone working in fields and jungle areas,” a senior officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The killings occurred in villages near Bareilly between June 2023 and July 2024.
According to the officer, Gangwar would approach solitary women to make sexual advances. “He would become violent and attack the women on facing denial or resistance and strangle them to death,” the officer said.
“However, sexual assault has not been confirmed in post-mortem reports of any of his victims,” the officer added.
Police recovered items belonging to victims, including identity cards and personal effects, from Gangwar’s possession. He would items found on this victims -- bindi, lipstick, identity cards -- as trophies.
Investigators believe Gangwar’s troubled childhood may have contributed to his alleged crimes. The suspect’s father reportedly remarried whilst his mother was alive, leading to domestic violence that deeply affected Gangwar.
“He developed much hate and anger for his stepmother and other women,” the anonymous officer said, adding that he will be administered a mental health test.
Bareilly senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anurag Arya said police consulted clinical psychologists while investigating the cases to learn about the pattern followed by the serial killer.
During the probe, the police marked a 25-km radius around Shahi and Sheeshgarh police station limits to identify suspects, he said.
“We formed 22 teams to trace the killer and assigned them different work related to scanning call details of around 150.000 suspicious mobile numbers, scanning footages of over 1,500 CCTV cameras, installation of 600 new CCTV cameras and study modus operandi or the pattern of crime,” he added.
The SSP said the breakthrough came when some people reported having seen Gangwar commit the murder of Anita Devi in Bhujia Jageer village under Shahi police station limit on July 3, which helped the create his first sketch.
On Thursday, Gangwar was identified and arrested by a team from Shahi police station from near the banks of the Mathiya with the help of a tip and previously prepared sketches and videos, the SSP said.
The latest victim, Anita Devi from Haujpur village, was found with strangulation marks on July 2. The first victim was Kusma from Khajuria village who was killed almost a year ago on July 22.
The lack of leads prompted Inspector General of Police (Bareilly Range) Rakesh Singh to take direct command of the investigation.