The Gujarat Police recently arrested a man for the rape and murder of a 19-year-old girl. But the story is not as simple as it appears to be. After the arrest, a can of worms was opened which led to the discovery of a serial killer who committed murders on trains. What was more shocking is that the accused was a cripple.
Recently, Rahul Karamveer Jat, accused of raping and murdering a 19-year-old woman in Gujarat, was arrested. After this arrest, Gujarat police officials claim that the suspect is linked to at least four additional murders as well as other crimes, which have mainly happened on trains in several states within a month. Rahul Karamveer Jat was arrested on November 24 at Vapi railway station in Valsad, Gujarat. After this, a joint investigation was conducted by officials of 6 states and about 2000 CCTV cameras were analysed in many districts of Gujarat.
How was the serial killer caught?
The 30-year-old accused, a resident of Haryana, was arrested on November 24 after a massive operation conducted in several states. Valsad Superintendent of Police Karanraj Vaghela said that the serial killer was caught by the police while he was travelling in the Bandra-Bhuj train. The police first got success on November 14 after the alleged murder and rape of a 19-year-old college student near Udwada railway station in Valsad district. After this, more than 2000 CCTV cameras were scanned.
2000 CCTV cameras were scanned
When forensic examination of the deceased woman was done, it was confirmed that she was raped. After the incident, the police formed several investigation teams and examined the footage of more than 2000 CCTV cameras. The accused was seen in the CCTV cameras installed at the railway station, wearing the same clothes that were recovered from the area where the woman's body was found. The investigators identified the suspect from his limp at the Vapi railway station. In the CCTV camera footage, Jat was seen enjoying some food at the railway station after committing the horrific crime.
Police of many states conducted a joint operation
Following his identification, a joint investigation was launched involving police forces from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The investigation revealed that he had committed murders in several states. According to media reports, Rahul Karamveer Jat, a Class 5 dropout, has reportedly confessed to several crimes. According to the Valsad superintendent of police, the accused had killed a fellow passenger on the Bengaluru-Murdeshwar train in Karnataka on October 25 after a dispute over a cigarette. In West Bengal, he looted and killed a 63-year-old man on the Katihar Express on November 19.
A few days before his arrest, he had murdered a woman in the Mangalore Special Express at Secunderabad railway station on November 24. Vaghela said that in October 2024, he sexually assaulted and killed a woman passenger in the Pune-Kanyakumari train near Solapur. Investigation is on in this case. Police said that the modus operandi of the accused included targeting lone passengers, especially in disabled coaches and women's coaches.
(Report- Jitendra Patil)
