Devendra Sharma was a doctor of Ayurvedic medicines who was constantly looking for other ways to make a few extra bucks. So, he started stealing cars and killing drivers from areas in and around UP, Gurgaon and Rajasthan between 2002 and 2004. Later, he admitted on killing about 30-40 drivers. He was sentenced to death in 2008.
Understanding the mind of a serial killer is tricky because there is always some sort of motive behind homicides but the same can’t be said when it comes to serial killings. Most of the times, serial killers don’t have any logical reason or personal vendetta against the victim but they have a psychological urge to kill. Serial killers are present all around the world, even in India. So, here are the 11 most notorious Indian serial killers who are still known for their atrocious crimes.
1. Mohan Kumar, also known as Cyanide Mohan, was held responsible for killing 20 women.
After having sex with women, he would trick them into taking contraceptives which were actually cyanide pills in reality. Between 2005 to 2009, he had killed about 20 women. It is said that he was also allegedly involved in bank frauds and other financial forgeries. In December 2013, he was sentenced to death.
2. Devendra Sharma was a doctor who stole cars and killed around 40 drivers.
3. The Nithari Killers were found guilty of rape, murder and abduction of over 16 children.
Mohinder Singh Pandher was a wealthy business man from Noida who was arrested along with his domestic help, Surindher Koli in connection to the discovery of skulls of 16 missing children in Nithari village between 2005 and 2006. Both these men were accused of rape, cannibalism, pedophilia and organ trafficking. Some of these allegations were true while the others were mere rumours. Both, Koli and Pandher were sentenced to death in 2017.
4. Charles Sobhraj, also known as the suave ‘Bikini Killer’, was held accountable for killing 12 innocent people.
Charles Sobhraj murdered around 12 people between 1975 and 1976 in various parts of South East Asia. Unlike other killers, Sobhraj used to kill his victims and then rob them off their money in order to fund his lavish lifestyle. He would gain the trust of his potential victims by rescuing them from a problem that was created by him in the first place. He was named the ‘Bikini Killer’ after two bodies of women wearing floral bikinis were found. He was captured in India where he was in jail from 1976 to 1997. Later, in 2004, he was arrested in Nepal and now he is serving his second life sentence.
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5. K D Kempamma, also known as “Cyanide Mallika” was India’s first convicted female serial killer who murdered 6 women.
K D Kempamma was a famous Indian serial killer, Who lived in Bangalore was accused of killing 6 women between 1999 and 2007. She killed lower middle class women who were facing domestic issues through cyanide poisoning and then rob them of their belongings. She was arrested in 2007 and now she has been given lifetime imprisonment.
6. Renuka Shinde & Seema Gavit were sisters who killed over 6 toddlers.
The killer sisters were trained to be petty thieves by their own mother at an early age. Soon, they started kidnapping young children because they discovered that it was easy to use them as defence against accusations, in case, they were caught. Any child who started creating problems for them was killed. Later, they were charged with 13 kidnappings and 9 murders by the Sessions Court. Currently, they are on a death row and are about to be the first women in India to be hanged for their heinous crimes.
7. Thug Behram was India’s most prolific assassin who allegedly killed over 931 people.
Thug Behram was the leader of a notorious Thuggee cult that traveled across central India. These thugs were known to latch onto travelling groups. Then, they would use their handkerchief to suffocate and strangulate innocent victims before robbing them off their belongings. It is believed that Behram killed over 931 people but, he only confessed to killing 125 people. He was hanged for his crimes in 1840.
8. Raman Raghav was a schizophrenic serial killer who killed over 23 people.
Raman Raghav, also called ‘Pyscho Raman’ was known for terrorizing Mumbai’s slum dwellers in the 1960s. He used to use a baton to kill his victims. When he was arrested, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia but he confessed on killing 23 people. However, his confession was highly questionable given the fact that he wasn’t mentally stable. He died from kidney failure in 1995.
9. M. Jaishankar was accused of raping 30 women and murdering 15 women.
M. Jaishankar was an Indian criminal who was accused of a series of rapes and murders during 2008 and 2011. It is believed that he was involved in 30 rapes, 15 murders and robbery cases across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. He was later arrested and imprisoned in Bangalore where he was diagnosed as mentally ill. After a series of unsuccessful attempts to escape the prison, he committed suicide in 2018.
11. Darbara Singh, also known as the ‘Baby Killer’ was accused of killing over 15 girls and 2 boys.
Darbara Singh was charged for killing 15 girls and two boys between April to September 2004. He would kill his victims by slitting their throat. He was awarded a death sentence but was later acquitted by the High Court due to lack of sufficient evidence. He died in 2018 while serving a life sentence, with more cases against him that are pending for trial.
11. Akku Yadav, a local goon, was held accountable for raping and killing 3 women.
Akku Yadav, a 32-year-old man was a local goon who used to rape and kill women in his area for over a decade. It is claimed that the police refused to pursue the charges against him as he was bribing them. He was given a taste of his own medicine when he was lynched by a mob of over 200 women right outside Nagpur District Court. He was stabbed several times and red chilly powder and stones were thrown at him. One of the ladies even hacked his penis off.
I hope you have liked the list of Indian serial killers.
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