The serial killer involved in the rape and murder of two women in Chandigarh -- an MBA student in Sector 38 (West) in 2010 and another woman in Maloya in 2022 - has confessed to his involvement in the rape and murder of a third woman in Chandigarh in February this year.
In police custody for two rape and murder cases that were reported 12 years apart, 38-year-old Monu Kumar, disclosed to the police that he had murdered a 55-year-old woman in the forest area of Maloya on February 28 this year. A day later, the semi-naked body of the woman, who was a resident of Phase-5, Mohali, was found in the jungle area near Government School, Sector-54, Chandigarh. The case was registered under Section 302 (murder) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sector 39 police station. During the course of the investigation, the clothes used by the accused were recovered from the jungle area near Dhanas Lake, Chandigarh.
UT Police writes to neighbouring states to ascertain his role in similar cases
UT senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur said a letter has been sent to the director generals of police (DGPs) of all northern states to check if any crime of similar modus operandi has taken place in their respective jurisdictions. “The accused was a taxi driver and used to travel to multiple states. He was also an accused in a minor’s rape and murder case in Himachal Pradesh where he has been acquitted,” said the SSP.
{{/usCountry}}UT senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur said a letter has been sent to the director generals of police (DGPs) of all northern states to check if any crime of similar modus operandi has taken place in their respective jurisdictions. “The accused was a taxi driver and used to travel to multiple states. He was also an accused in a minor’s rape and murder case in Himachal Pradesh where he has been acquitted,” said the SSP.
{{/usCountry}}During the course of interrogation, the accused disclosed that he had never got an Adhaar Card made as he was wary that it may lead the police to him. It is also found that Kumar was a drug addict.
He was earlier arrested and subsequently acquitted in a case of rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba in 2009. He was re-arrested by Chandigarh police on May 2 for the rape and murder of the 21-year-old MBA student in Sector 38 West in 2010 and the murder of the 40-year-old woman in Maloya in 2022.
Police said his DNA samples and those recovered from the crime matched and pointed to his involvement in the murder. Police had questioned 800 suspects for the murders and sent DNA samples of at least 100 suspects for analysis.
Kumar is a resident of Shahpur Colony, Sector-38, West, Chandigarh, but hails from Uttar Pradesh. As per the police, he has six cases registered against him in Chandigarh, including theft and culpable homicide.