Police in Ratlam district in Madhya Pradesh claims to have solved a triple murder case, about a week after the heinous crime took place, with the arrest of three of the four accused. The main accused, a Gujarat resident, is a serial killer involved in at least six murders including two in Gujarat and the remaining in Madhya Pradesh.
38-year-old Dilip Dewal, the mastermind behind the killings, is known for looting homes and killing the occupants, who are mostly women to ensure less resistance leaving no evidence behind, the police said.
In Ratlam, three members of a family namely Govind Solanki, his wife Sharda Solanki and his daughter Divya Solanki were shot dead in their house at Rajeev Nagar on the intervening night of November 25 and 26 when people were busy celebrating chhoti Diwali (Dev Uthani Gyaras) festival with firecrackers drowning out the gun shots fired by the assailants. Police said the occasion was chosen carefully for this purpose.
“During the investigation, police found that serial killer Dilip Dewal, a resident of Dahod Gujarat, killed them with the help of three persons--Anurag alias Bobby, Gaurav Bilwal alias Golu, both residents of Ratlam and Lala Bhabor, a resident of Dahod, Gujarat. The accused entered the house to loot valuables, said Gaurav Tiwari, superintendent of police, Ratlam.
Police have arrested Anurag, Gaurav and Lala while Dilip is still absconding. The latter was awarded life imprisonment in Dahod for killing a businessman but he jumped parole two years back. Since then, he had been staying in Ratlam with a changed name. Police have seized at least two fake Aaddhar cards used by the serial killer, said the SP.
{{/usCountry}}Police have arrested Anurag, Gaurav and Lala while Dilip is still absconding. The latter was awarded life imprisonment in Dahod for killing a businessman but he jumped parole two years back. Since then, he had been staying in Ratlam with a changed name. Police have seized at least two fake Aaddhar cards used by the serial killer, said the SP.
{{/usCountry}}According to the police, Dilip decided to rob Solanki, who used to run a saloon, after learning that he had recently sold a piece of land.
“Govind Solanki used to run a salon in his house. Dilip came in contact with Govind on the pretext of a haircut to see the location of rooms in the house. After all the planning and recce, Dilip entered his house on the night of November 25 along with Anurag and Gaurav. He first shot Sharda who was watching a television programme followed by her daughter, who rushed out of her room after hearing the gunfire. Both died on the spot. The accused looted cash and jewellery and were about to leave when they saw Govind Solanki enter the house around 9 pm. They waited for him to enter the house and then shot him dead,” said the police officer.
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Several teams totalling 100 police personnel were engaged in the investigation and footage from about 200 CCTV cameras were examined to get to the killers.
Police also arrested Dileep’s cousin brothers, 21-years old Sumit Singh Chauhan, who hails from Ratlam and 27-years old Himmat Singh Dawal, resident of Dahod, Gujarat, for looting a house and killing a woman in Ratlam in a similar fashion. They have been remanded in custody for 10 days for further interrogation. Police have also made an appeal asking people to share any information which may help it nab the serial killer.
(With input from Sudhir Jain in Ratlam)